In collaboration with the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is holding an online consultation on How can agricultural policies and strategies help to end child labour in agriculture’ over a three-week period, from 27 April to 18 May.
Today, approximately 71% of child labour, or 108 million children worldwide, is found in the agriculture sector. More than two thirds of all child labour is unpaid family work where children do not attend or fully benefit from compulsory schooling and many of the tasks they undertake in agriculture are hazardous.
Children living in rural areas often become involved, early on, in agricultural tasks which allows them to development important skills, capacities, contribute to the family household as well as gain a sense of belonging to the community. Unfortunately, for numerous children, tasks that children perform are not limited to educational tasks but correspond to what is defined as child labour.
While child labour in agriculture takes place in a wide range of different circumstances and work situations, a large portion of child labour in agriculture can also be found in family farming, especially when household poverty persists, few livelihood alternative are available, family income remains low or is susceptible to shocks and there is poor access to education. Child labour perpetuates a cycle of poverty for the children involved, their families and communities, where they are likely to be the rural poor of tomorrow.
In July 2019, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2021 the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour’. This online consultation represents one of many activities that FAO will organize to observe the International Year and to contribute to the progress in achieving target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2025.
The online consultation will take place for a period of three weeks, from April 27 to May 18. Your comments and inputs will be instrumental to identify and document good and promising practices for which evidence-based research and replication could be explored. The results of the consultation will be widely promoted throughout the International Year and beyond.
A comprehensive multi-sectoral approach[1] is often needed to address child labour in agriculture. Below are some of the many areas that can help address the issue in the rural sector. The following questions are applicable to all agricultural sub-sectors (Crop production, Fisheries, Aquaculture, Livestock and Forestry). The mention of agricultural stakeholders includes, but is not limited to, agriculture-related ministries, agricultural extension agents and officers, agricultural producers’ organizations and cooperatives, workers’ organizations as well as farmers at community level.
FAO, 2020