The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published the results of the study “There are alternatives for children and adolescents in the countryside” that releases the updated data, legislation and the offer of existing programs and services in the region to reduce child labor in agriculture.

Through this publication, both institutions propose some recommendations to improve the response of the public and private sectors to child labor in this sector, which is home to the majority of working children and adolescents.

In the region, the participation of minors in agricultural activities often begins between the ages of 5 and 7. Rural families consider it mainly a formative cultural practice, which transmits knowledge, experiences and technical skills necessary for life. However, the participation of the majority of children and adolescents in agriculture is also linked to the conditions of poverty in which their families find themselves. As a consequence, thousands of them are mostly exposed to child labor, paid or unpaid, in dangerous agricultural activities and in situations of labor exploitation.

Although not all agricultural activities put the safety and health of this population at risk, those that include crop production, livestock, forestry, fishing and aquaculture, and the way in which they are carried out, can be dangerous for its integral development; for example, when they expose them to injuries and / or accidents, long working hours, extreme temperatures, dangerous tools, toxic agents or limit their education and free time.

In addition, it should be noted that girls and adolescents are a significantly more vulnerable group, since they not only carry out agricultural activities but also domestic activities, either before or after going to the fields.

Child labor in agriculture is a predominantly rural and complex reality with gaps in terms of control, especially due to the invisibility of the work of this population in rural areas, the lack of or lax legislation on agricultural family work, etc.

In this regard, it should be noted that improving the response to the persistence of hazardous child labor in agriculture requires, among other urgent measures, the identification and listing of dangerous activities, conditions, products and tools for this population group, which will improve the implementation of strict and concrete sanctions.

It is also essential to provide better opportunities to parents with working children, since all forms of child labor perpetuate poverty and, in this area, puts the countries' sustainable agricultural development and food security at risk.

Along these lines, the study proposes to generate public policies to ensure the protection of adolescent agricultural workers and improve their working conditions; carry out more research by topic within the same agricultural sector; adapt national sector surveys to include the topic; and improve the application of existing legislation in rural areas.

To download the publication, go to:

http://iniciativa2025alc.org/sites/default/files/ti_agricultura_ALC-FAO_OIT.pdf