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Local Civil Society Organizations as Key Actors to Reduce Child Labour in Rural Colombia
September 8, 2021
San Martin de Loba is reachable through river boats
This article was originally published here on United Nations University’s knowledge platform on modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and child labour. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University. The views expressed here are the sole responsibility of the author and they do not reflect the official views of the ILO.
At first glance, San Martín de Loba, reachable mainly by river transport, may seem like a forgotten river town tucked away in rural Bolívar province, but its gold mines have lured fortune hunters from throughout Colombia and beyond. Rather than bolstering the economic fortunes of its residents, however, gold mining has entrenched conditions of poverty and chronic violence. Some children in San Martín engage in mining, especially in artisanal and small-scale gold mines (ASGM).
San Martín de Loba is one of four municipalities where Pact has been implementing the Pilares project. Funded by the United States Department of Labor, Pilares’s main objective is to build the capacity of local civil society organizations (CSOs) to better understand and address child labour and other unacceptable working conditions (OUWC). To achieve this goal, it uses the Collective Impact Model (CIM), through which organizations collaborate to solve complex problems. For the CIM to function, organizations must prioritize a common agenda, continuous communication and coordination via Solidarity Networks. In this article, we will outline the work and impact of the Solidarity Network in the Department of Bolívar.
Read the full article on the Delta 8.7 website.