Elimination of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture (ECLSA)

TREESP1.1ECLSA

01.10.2020 – 31.01.2024

Ministry of Labour and Social Security, General Directorate of Labour (DG Labour)-Department of Employment Policies (DEP)

-

Overall objective of this direct grant Operation is to contribute to elimination of the worst forms of child labour in seasonal agriculture.

The specific objective of this action is to enhance national and local capacity for the elimination of worst forms of child labour in seasonal agriculture as well as providing services to children at risk and their families.

Implementation duration: 40 months

Implementation Provinces: Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Adana, Mersin, Hatay, İzmir, Manisa, Ankara, Eskişehir, Konya, Malatya, Ordu, Bursa, Düzce

Target groups:

• Children working/at risk of working in seasonal agriculture
• Family members of children working in seasonal agriculture
• Agricultural production supply chain representatives (farmers, intermediaries, employers/land and garden owners)
• Headmen, imams, local press representatives
• School principals and teachers
• Employees of the central and provincial organizations of the MoLSS
• Employees of relevant public institutions at local and national level
• Relevant social partners, NGOs

Expected Results are as follows:

1. On-site education, guidance, counselling and rehabilitation services will be provided to 12.000 children.
2. 2.000 family members of the working/at-risk children in seasonal agriculture will be referred to vocational and generic training programmes in order to improve life and occupational skills.
3. Trainings on the negative aspects of child labour in seasonal agriculture and related legislation will be provided to 200 agriculture intermediaries, 500 employers and 200 village heads.
4. 12.000 children will be equipped with clothes, hygiene and training equipment, and living conditions of seasonal agricultural families in settlement areas will be improved.
5. Institutional capacity of central and local institutions of MoLSS will be improved in the field of planning, managing, coordinating, implementing and monitoring for the elimination of worst of child labour.
6. Capacities of gendarmerie and NGOs will be improved in combatting child labour.
7. Child Labour Monitoring (CLM) and Tracking System will be established and existing e-METIP system will be improved.
8. A communication campaign will be developed and implemented towards general public, children, families, employers, decision-makers, school principals, teachers, agricultural intermediaries, and media.
9. Scientific and technical studies will be carried out for the assessment of child labour, its causes, consequences and review of good practices as well as developing policy recommendations on the elimination of child labour and improving living and working conditions in seasonal agriculture.
10. Cross-sectoral working groups will be established to map the existing child labour reporting mechanisms, identify adverse incentives and recommend effective enforcement mechanisms at each point in the agricultural production and supply chain.
11. Meetings and field visits will be organised in order to ensure efficient coordination and cooperation among relevant field teams and stakeholders.

In general, the following activities have been implemented by the end of July 2023:

• Within the scope of the improving of educational access opportunities for children working/at risk in seasonal agriculture:

- 11.394 children were directed to educational services.

- 8.241 children participated to social/cultural/sports/artistic activities.

- 8.114 children attended self-care and health safety trainings in Adıyaman, Adana, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Hatay ve Mersin.

- 694 children have participated to sightseeing tours; 511 children have participated to university visit activities.

- 1.421 children were directed to preschool education services.

• Within the scope of the improving of family members, life and professional skills of children working/at risk of working in seasonal agriculture:

- Occupational health and safety, general family and first aid trainings were given to 4.100 family members.

- In Diyarbakır, vocational training courses were organized at MEKSA Diyarbakır Training Center; while in Şanlıurfa, they were organized at Eyyübiye Public Training Center, Hayati Harrani Women’s Center, and MEKSA Foundation Şanlıurfa Training Center. A total of 200 people have benefited from these courses. Participants have been registered to İŞKUR.

• Within the scope of trainings on negative aspects of child labour in seasonal agriculture and related legislation; 212 agricultural intermediaries received these trainings, 194 agricultural intermediaries were certified. Additionally, 8 mukhtars and employers have benefited from these trainings.

• Within the scope of the improving the living conditions of families working in seasonal agriculture and children working/at risk in seasonal agriculture:

- 11.911 children benefitted from clothing support, 13.831 children benefitted from stationery support, 5.629 children benefitted from hygiene kits, 10.852 children benefitted from nutrition support.

- Service support was provided to 5.972 children and social support center improvement works were completed in 8 provinces. - 496 units of mobile toilets were placed in seasonal agricultural areas.

- Improvement works are currently ongoing in the existing METIP fields and preparations for the establishment of new METIP areas are also continuing.

• Within the context of improving the Institutional capacity of central and local institutions of MoLSS in the field of planning, managing, coordinating, implementing and monitoring for the elimination of worst of child labour:

- 1 training needs analysis study report has been completed and relevant training modules have been developed.

- 1 Capacity Development Plan has been improved.

- 58 personnel from the General Directorate of Labour have participated to training sessions focused on the preparation, evaluation and monitoring of policy and strategy documents.

- 61 staff members from Units Against Child Labour in MoLSS have participated to training sessions related with combating and monitoring child labour.

- Infrastructures of 16 Units Against Child Labour were improved.

• Within the context of developing the capacities of gendarmerie and NGOs in combatting child labour, 17 gendarmarie personnel attended the training.

• The development of E-METIP system is almost completed. • Within the scope of the development and implementation of the communication campaign towards general public, children, families, employers, decision-makers, school principals, teachers, agricultural intermediaries, and media:

- Communication Strategy has been completed and 13.626 sets of visibility materials have been prepared.

- 4 awareness raising activities were organized within the scope of the World Day Against Child Labour.

- 2 local media meetings were organized to inform media workers about child labour and children’s rights.

- A total of 119 representatives from the private sector have been informed about the dangers of the child labour.

- 1 documentary and 3 informative videos have been produced, and a meeting was held in Istanbul with 20 scriptwriters and directors to discuss conveying the harms of child labour to the audience through screens (TV and cinema)

• As part of improving the capacities of relevant institutions, including national and local labour and employer organizations, and relevant government institutions,

- The training needs analysis has been completed and training modules have been developed.

- A total of 99 central and local personnel have participated to training programmes aimed at preventing child labour in seasonal agriculture.

- A user friendly training of trainers programme has been prepared and disseminated with 53 participants. Additionally, 77 professionals have received specialized training.

- 2 experts from the General Directorate of Labour have attended a training organized by the International Training Center of ILO (ITC ILO) in Turin.

• Within the scope of carrying out the scientific and technical studies for the assessment of child labour, its causes, consequences and review of good practices as well as developing policy recommendations on the elimination of child labour and improving living and working conditions in seasonal agriculture:

- The draft version of the baseline analysis report has been completed.

- The draft version of the risk analysis report has been completed.

- The report on good practices has been completed.

- 9 plans have been prepared for the maintenance of existing METIP fields and the organization of the new METIP areas.

• 3 cross-sectoral working group meetings, 1 workshop and 4 product-based risk analysis seminars were organised to map the existing child labour reporting mechanisms, identify adverse incentives and recommend effective enforcement mechanisms at each point in the agricultural production and supply chain.

• Meetings and field visits are organised in order to ensure efficient coordination and cooperation among relevant field teams and stakeholders:

- 3 coordination meetings, 31 orientation meetings, 3 stakeholder field visits have been realised; 3 Units Against Child Labour field visits were organised and 39 field visits have been realised.