"Improving the economic conditions of rural women reduces the risk of child labour"

BUENOS AIRES, (OIT Noticias) — Yaneth Davila was born in Potosi, Bolivia. She arrived in Argentina in 2006 and lived for a while in the city of Buenos Aires, but then moved with her siblings to Florencio Varela, in the province of Buenos Aires. Since then she has been dedicated to the agroecological production of vegetables and strawberries.

"Day by day, as a woman, I also have to carry the cart forward," Yaneth said. Her story is part of a series of six audiovisual testimonies presented by the Country Office of the International labour Organization (ILO) for Argentina, which were produced within the framework of the project "Offside: ¡Marcando la cancha!” These stories make visible the problem of child labour, which in Argentina affects 1 out of every 10 children and adolescents under 15 years of age. This figure doubles in rural areas of the country, where poverty and vulnerability levels are higher.

In 2022, together with other producers in the area, Yaneth participated in a training for trainers in financial education for the rural economy, which was offered by the project "Offside: Making the difference!" of the Country Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for Argentina, together with the Ministry of Labour of the Province of Buenos Aires.

The course was held in a space in Yaneth and her family's farmhouse. It was aimed at discussing the place of women in the management of finances and family economy and to provide concrete tools to carry it forward. "The economy transformed me, I learned a lot of things and I will continue learning," she said. For her, improving the economic conditions of rural women reduces the risk of child labour.

Education occupies an important place among the priorities of Yaneth and her family. Thus, despite the difficulties often imposed by living conditions and the demands of production, they put their children's access to school first.

This is also reflected in her own life: Yaneth finished high school this year and, with the motivation of the financial education course, plans to pursue university studies. "To all women farmers, non-farmers, women in the neighborhood, to everyone in general, I invite you to take these courses," she said.

Offside: ¡Marcando la cancha!

Led by the ILO office in the country and with the participation of a broad institutional network, the project "Offside: ¡Marcando la cancha!" aims to generate knowledge and public policies to eradicate child labour in rural areas of Argentina. The program, which focuses on the garlic, tomato and cotton production sectors in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Santa Fe, is funded by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL).