Ending Child Labor in Honduras: Listening to the community

Estimated read time: Two minutes

World Vision’s Bright Futures project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (part of U.S. foreign assistance), and is working to improve labor rights, educate communities, and provide economic opportunities so that families can avoid the desperation that drives parents to send their children to work. Now in its second phase, the project is collaborating with the government of Honduras, workers, and employers to advocate for legislation that will sustainably end child labor (read Digna’s story and learn how Bright Futures is helping children return to school).

World Vision advocates in the U.S. are helping make this project possible. As people in the U.S. speak out against child labor and support U.S. foreign assistance, Hondurans are equipped to advocate against it more effectively, especially its most dangerous forms. The Bright Futures project has reached over 660,000 people with vital information through advocacy campaigns providing over 19,000 workers with access to information and legal help, and over 6,600 children with direct services to help them leave or avoid child labor.

And now, World Vision is launching a national survey to help better identify root causes of child labor in Honduras! The Honduran National Institute of Statistics, the Honduran Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and World Vision, with the financial support of the United States Department of Labor, through World Vision’s Bright Futures project, are launching a National Child Labor Survey.

The last national study on child labor was conducted in 2002, and updated, accurate information is essential to effectively target the root causes of child labor. The survey will deepen knowledge about the state of child labor and help to inform policies, programs, and projects to improve the situation of vulnerable groups. In short, this survey will equip World Vision and others to work strategically to end child labor and help more children complete their education.  

The survey will be conducted randomly in the 18 departments (similar to U.S. states) of Honduras in more than 22,000 households, with responses from up to 50,000 children aged 5 to 17 years, parents, heads of household, child caretakers, and key informants.

According to the National Commission for the Gradual and Progressive Eradication of Child Labor in Honduras, there is a lack of detailed information and low levels of public awareness about child labor. The survey will provide timely and reliable statistics and identify the gaps in protecting children from child labor in Honduras!

Incredible progress is being made to ensure children live full, fruitful lives in Central America. But more can be done to not just continue this work but continue to address violence against children throughout the world. U.S. foreign assistance accounts for less than 1% of the federal budget—yet this small amount enables the United States to work through trusted partners, including faith-based organizations such as World Vision, to implement programs that bring hope, opportunity, and improved well-being for children and families in the world’s toughest places. U.S. foreign assistance is helping end child labor in Honduras. Will you take a moment to let Congress know this issue is important to you? Your voice matters!  

ACT NOW:

A young boy working a job in Honduras. (©2022 World Vision)