Brazil is committed to eradicating child labor by 2025. But for that to happen, society as a whole needs to help.

Worldwide, 160 million children and adolescents were in child labor, an increase of 8.4 million between 2016 and 2020. ”, by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

For this reason, the United Nations (UN) has defined, among its Sustainable Development Goals, the end of child labor by 2025. In target 8.7, the institution defines the need to “take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and ensure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labor in all its forms”.

According to the UN, the “worst forms” refer to the use of children in slavery, forced labor, trafficking, sexual exploitation, pornography, military recruitment and armed conflict.

What are the risks of child labor?

Considered a serious violation of human rights, child labor impairs physical and cognitive development, in addition to putting children and adolescents at risk.

Furthermore, the situation is linked to social inequality. This is because many vulnerable children have to start very early in the world of work, giving up school, becoming low-skilled workers. Consequently, they receive negligible financial contributions, when they do.

To develop healthily, children need to play, learn and stay safe. On the 12th of June, the World Day against Child Labor is celebrated.

In 2023, the motto of the campaign is “Protecting childhood is to enhance the future of children and adolescents. It comes together to end child labor”. The objective is to make society reflect on this situation, drawing attention to the protection of children. But efforts cannot be reduced to a single day of the year.

Therefore, the Ramacrisna Institute works daily to change the situation.

our actions

Children from 6 years of age are received at the Ramacrisna Institute to participate in the complementary support to the school and can only participate if they are enrolled and attending public schools. This way, they have their day full of studies and recreational activities and they also receive lunch and snacks, even during school holidays.

This follow-up is carried out by the pedagogical coordinator of Ramacrisna and the management of the Public Schools.

Another extremely important action against child labor is the Jovem Aprendiz program. This is because the project allows teenagers to enter the job market without harming their development. All of this in a regularized manner and provided for by law.

To become an apprentice, the teenager must be enrolled in a school, attending Elementary or High School and maintain school attendance, in addition to being registered in the apprenticeship program. (That part in red actually should be black.)

In addition, apprentices are guaranteed all their labor rights, such as vacations and 13th salary. Therefore, when he becomes a young apprentice, the teenager moves away from child labor, in which conditions are often precarious.

According to the legislation, companies with more than seven employees must hire apprentices. Non-profit entities and small companies are not required to hire, but can participate in the project. Want to help in this fight?

Contact us and find out how to hire an apprentice for your company.