Awareness-raising within communities has a significant impact on child labour rates.
Through awareness-raising sessions, adults and children can become aware of children’s rights and understand the difference between permissible light work, which can teach children valuable skills, and hazardous work, which can harm their development.
Child labour often happens because farmers may not be aware of the risks it poses to their children’s healthy development and well-being or may not know what constitutes hazardous work. Perceptions of child work as part of a child’s socialisation process also contribute to its prevalence. That’s why it is essential to create space for dialogue and discussion in cocoa-growing communities to raise awareness of harmful situations and promote practical solutions.
Awareness-raising sessions aim to inform both adults and children about children’s rights; child labour, its root causes, dangers, and consequences; the difference between permissible light work and hazardous tasks; and the importance of education for children’s well-being and healthy development.
Awareness-raising sessions complement other activities aimed at increasing child protection and farmer income.
Community and household level
Awareness-raising sessions can take place at the community level and/or the household level.
- Community awareness-raising sessions target community leaders and members, including farmers and their families. Community meetings, discussions with farmers and film screenings are organised to introduce concepts such as children’s rights and hazardous tasks and their impact on children.
- In parallel to community awareness-raising, targeted awareness sessions are conducted for households where child labour cases have been identified and for households with a higher risk of child labour.
- Other methods of awareness raising include radio and Community Information Centres in Ghana that broadcast audio materials in communities. These methods were particularly helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awareness facilitators
Sessions can be carried out by different actors, often community members themselves who have been trained on child labour and child protection issues and equipped with awareness-raising materials.
Community facilitators raise awareness amongst farming families on harm resulting from child labour and provide advice on protective farming practices.
These Committees consist of male and female community members who are trained to conduct awareness-raising activities related to child labour, children’s rights, and the importance of education.
Similar to Community Child Protection Committees, Human Rights Committees raise awareness about child labour, forced labour and worker’s rights among communities. They are set up at the Cooperative level and are made up of cooperative delegates and members.
Awareness raising materials
Together with our partners, we have developed a range of awareness-raising materials to use during community and household awareness sessions.