The Regional Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean celebrates 10 years of fighting against child labour

BRASILIA (ILO News) – The Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labour commemorated its tenth anniversary on 15 October 2024, in Brasilia, Brazil, highlighting a decade of significant progress and the ongoing challenges in the fight against child labour. 

Since its establishment in 2014, 31 countries, employers and workers organizations, together with the ILO have joined efforts to end child labour, with the contribution and support of strategic partners, and mechanisms such as South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

In an alarming context, where in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, 8.2 million children and adolescents are still found in child labour, the Regional Initiative reaffirms the need for decisive and coordinated global action. ‘We are not just talking about numbers; we are talking about lives - about children whose opportunities for the future are being sacrificed. The need for determined and coordinated global action is more urgent than ever,’ stressed Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, during the opening ceremony.

© Adriano Brito/ILO

The region's leadership and collaborative efforts were further highlighted by the participation of several distinguished officials: Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Lopes, Deputy Director of the Brazilian Agency for International Cooperation (ABC); Victor Pellegrini Mamana, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment; André Quintao Silva, National Secretary for Social Assistance at the Brazilian Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family, and Fight against Hunger; José Miguel de Lara Toledo, Cooperation Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy in Brazil; and Olga Pozo, Head of the Department of Cooperation with Ibero-America at the Andalusian Agency for International Development Cooperation (AACID), who participated virtually. Additional contributions came from Tanya Andrade, Division Chief for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Office of Child Labour, Forced Labour and Human Trafficking of the United States Department of Labour (USDOL); Anita Amorim, Head of the ILO's Emerging Partnerships Unit; Marlene Mazariegos, representative of employers' organizations (IOE); and Nallely Dominguez, representative of trade union organizations (TUCA).

During the event, the Regional Child Labour Observatory was also launched. This innovative tool aims to enhance understanding of the situation in each country within the region and to accelerate the eradication of this injustice. ‘It is a digital platform that seeks to provide updated and relevant information to support decision-making by governments, social organizations, academia and the general public engaged in the fight against child labour,’ said Pilar Rodriguez, Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the Regional Initiative.

This year, the commemoration also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the adoption of ILO Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour, underscoring the need for renewed and coordinated efforts to end the worst forms of child labour.

The 10th Annual Meeting of the Focal Points Network of the Initiative takes place from 15 to 18 October, where participants will analyze achievements, share successful experiences, and promote actions aimed at advancing the prevention and eradication of child labour.