Fundación Telefónica

Eradication of child labour Congress Ecuador

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4th International Congress Against Child Labour

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú took part in the 4th Congress Against Child Labour that took place on 7 June in Ecuador, hosted by Fundación Telefónica. During the event ?representatives from the Governments of Ecuador, Brazil and Panama took the stand.

Quito, 7 June 2012.- In Latin America there are 14 million child labourers, between 5 and 17 years of age, representing 10% of the total child labourers of that age (141 million). 9.4 million of those children engage in hazardous jobs, which put their physical and psychological wellbeing at risk. Eliminating child labour is an international commitment, shared by governments, social organizations, teachers, researchers, companies, families and community members in general.

The purpose of the 4th International Congress Against Child Labour is to identify, analyse, and share studies, successful practices and experiences in the fight against child labour in Latin America. The final contents generated throughout its virtual and onsite stages are expected to be capable of contributing to the World Conference 2013 in Brazil, with Latin America’s input on child labour elimination.

The 4th International Congress Against Child Labour will be held in four stages, each one including an onsite meeting, the first one of which has taken place in Quito (Ecuador) and a previous virtual discussion phase. The events will take place between 2012 and 2013, thus allowing more people to take part and contribute to the cause.

Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace Price laureate, was one of the speakers at the first onsite event, which took place over the first week of June, who contributed to the analysis of the examples of good practice in the fight against child labour, and assessed the status of the situation of the Roadmap leading to the elimination of the worst forms of Child Labour by 2016 in Latin America.

The second stage of the Congress, scheduled for October 2012, will address Central American and Caribbean issues; the third one will focus on child labour in Mexico, as well as other experiences at a worldwide level; and finally, in June 2013, the final onsite event will tackle subjects related with the Southern Cone, in an event that will be hosted in Brazil.