Madagascar - Prevention of Child Labor
Name: Prevention and Protection of vulnerable children of the17 communes in the Anosy region from the worst forms of child labor
Donor: International Labor Organization (ILO)
Duration: October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2008
Despite the Government of Madagascar’s demonstrated commitment to fighting child labor in recent years, economic obstacles and socio-cultural and political norms have allowed the illegal employment of children to prosper, negatively impacting development in the region. These vulnerable children, who constitute the country’s economic future, find themselves marginalized by their employment. According to statistics from the most recent census, 34% of children ages six through fourteen do not attend school; drop-out rates by age are likewise alarming (10 years: 9.6%; 11 years: 13.8%; 12 years: 19.8%; 13 years: 28.4%; 14 years: 39.4%); finally, 54% of children do not attend school but are engaged in the workforce.
Given the alarming state of child labor in Madagascar, PACT is intervening in the region of Anosy with a strategy that builds on similar and complementary projects financed by the US Embassy and UNDP. This strategy consists of the following objectives:
· Prevent the introduction of children into the workforce with grants for education scholarships and for the social mobilization of concerned parties such as parents, employers, civil society organizations, local authorities, and school administrators.
· Remove either completely or partially children from the workforce by supporting education through scholarships and the social mobilization of concerned parties such as parents, employers, civil society organizations, local authorities, and school administrators.
· Build the capacity of decision-makers involved in the project at the regional level, through the mobilization of concerned parties (schools, private sector, government authorities, etc.)
As an exit strategy and to ensure the sustainability of project benefits, PACT is adopting the following three complementary strategies:
· A micro-finance project (funded by UNDP) implemented in conjunction with the present project to augment the revenue of targeted households, particularly female-lead, through income generating activities. In this way, progressively, it is hoped that households will be able to finance their children’s education themselves.
· PACT, in collaboration with other concerned parties, is advocating for the participation of private enterprises in Fort-Dauphin in granting education scholarships following the program’s termination.
· PACT is carry-out activities to raise awareness of child labor issues so as to promote behavior change among concerned parties (public and private) and encourage participation in granting scholarships in other communes of Anosy.
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