12 June is celebrated as World Day Against Child Labour.
World Day Against Child Labour 2021 tagline line is
Act now to end child labor!
This year, ILO will promote a “Week of Action” around 12 June, starting with the launch of the new global estimates on child labor. The events and activities carried out during this week will be an opportunity for partners to showcase progress in carrying out their “2021 Action Pledges.” All pledges made by regional, national and organizational stakeholders and individuals are featured here.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, children are often the first to suffer. According to ILO, already, there are an estimated 152 million children in child labor, 72 million of which are in hazardous work. These children are now at even greater risk of facing circumstances that are even more difficult and working longer hours.
Almost one in ten of all children worldwide are in child labor. While the number of children in child labor has declined by 94 million since 2000, the rate of reduction slowed by two-thirds in recent years. Target 8.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals calls for an end to child labor in all its forms by 2025. How can the world community get firmly on track toward eliminating child labor?
Child labor continues to be a great concern in many parts of the world. Children are the next generation and our future, thus projects that work for children is particularly important. Children also need special protection as they cannot always stand up for themselves. The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labor and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it. As we look back on 18 years of the efforts, today we want to give tips for all the great NGOs that work towards the elimination of child labor all around the world.
Look at the bigger picture- the root cause
When applying for projects related to child labor, always keep the bigger scheme of things in mind. While singular projects already might help, it is always better to take a step back and look at the situation holistically. It’s not only important to stop the child labor cycle but to break it. Poverty is considered as one of the contributory factors in child labor. If you want to ‘eradicate’ child labor, first find out why it exists– there might be more systemic problems that are the root cause of the problems. Many times, projects for child labor need to focus on the entire community to have a lasting impact. Make sure that your project fits within a broader scheme and aligns with national and regional strategies.
Do not make the pity plea
It might be tempting to use pity pleas when you try to raise money to work with children. But do not fall for this trap. Only because children are not always in a position to talk for themselves does not give you the right to use them for a cause. If you use pictures or case studies that only depict children as victims, the donor might also think that you do not really respect your beneficiaries. It might even put them in danger. Do not make pity pleas for the beneficiaries and depict them as helpless or needy. Make sure that you always keep the security and the best interest of the children in mind and that you do not use them – even if you think it is for their good somehow. Highlight clearly that the children, the family, and the whole community are going to be active stakeholders in your project and that their knowledge and their resources are going to be put to good use. If you manage to create positive feelings by telling a positive story of hope and showing the ways the lives of a child can improve, you will have much better chances of keeping someone on the hook – they don’t just feel like they did their duty by donating some money, but they do want to know how the story goes on.
Related: 5 Tips for talking about Beneficiaries in your Proposal
Make sure your project is sustainable
When you work for children, it is particularly important that you think about project sustainability before you apply. You do not want to engage with children and then run out of funding and leave them in the situation they started in. Before you even start to plan your project, you should develop a plan on how it could be sustained once the one-time funding runs out. As I said before, it is not only important to take the children out of the forced work but to secure the fundamental children’s rights. If you have a good sustainability plan in place, this also shows the donor that you are really committed and serious about the issue you want to address. Every child should have the same starting chances, and your project should make sure this is the case.
Follow SDG
SDG 8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labor in all its forms.
SDG 16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children
If you are applying for any type of government funding, it is important to specifically mention which targets your project will contribute to. If you are applying for private funding, the SDGs are of much less importance. However, the above-numbered SDGs have been well-researched and analyzed, which are great to use even for non-government-funded projects.
Keep the security of the children in mind
Children are vulnerable. If you want to work with children in a project, you need to make sure that they are adequately protected and save. Many donors are also very aware of this issue. You should have a child protection policy in place. Any organization that comes into contact with children directly or indirectly should have a child protection policy. Simply put, a child protection policy helps create a child-safe organization. Make sure your NGO has one and also submit this with your proposal to show that you are thinking of these issues.
Best of luck with your proposal!
If you want to learn more about how to write a proposal for a project, take a look at our resource guide: The NGO Guide to Proposal Writing: The complete ‘How to’ for everything proposal related- 2020 Edition. It provides holistic understandings of the grant application process, the purpose of the project proposal and its parts, and tips on proposal writing.