Challenges

The Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labour is presented as a good practice oriented at strengthening the governance and sustainability of the efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour in the region.   Latin America and the Caribbean, after years of progress, had stagnated in reducing child labour, highlighting the need to rethink strategies and widen the focus to reach the most invisible and difficult areas. High levels of child labour persist, especially in rural areas, in contexts of informality, structural poverty and marked gender and ethnic inequalities.   Against this backdrop, the Regional Initiative was created as a collective, innovative and tripartite response to reverse this trend and accelerate the achievement of target 8.7. The Initiative launched pioneering tools such as: – Child Labour Risk Identification Model (CLRISK), which identifies vulnerable areas through risk maps; – The Child Labour Regional Observatory, which generates and makes evidence visible; – Monitora+, which allows for monitoring the actions that countries and sectors develop to prevent and eradicate child labour.   These tools, validated and used by tripartite actors, have helped consolidate a culture of shared responsibility and coordinated action across the region, strengthening institutional capacities and the impact of interventions. In this way, the Regional Initiative stands out as a good practice in collaborative governance, with concrete results in the fight against child labour and a clear long-term sustainability vision.

Toward a Solution

The Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labour (RILAC) was conceived as a strategic and collective response to accelerate the elimination of child labour through inter-country cooperation, use of innovative evidence and national and sectoral capacity building. Its impact is directly linked to SDG 8 (target 8.7), and transversally contributes to SDGs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 17, by addressing structural inequalities, improving access to education, making forms of child exploitation visible, and fostering inclusive partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society.   The good practice presented here is, precisely, the Regional Initiative itself: a unique collaborative platform that has succeeded in consolidating an innovative model of governance, coordination, and sustainability to address a complex issue like child labour.

The methodological approach combines tripartite governance, disaggregated evidence generation, applied innovation and collective action. It is articulated around a regional roadmap constructed by 31 countries, coordinated by the ILO, and jointly defined by governments, employers and workers. This framework has made it possible to focus action on high-risk territories, to make less recognised forms of child labour – such as domestic and care work performed mainly by girls – visible, and to promote sustained inter-institutional responses.   Since its inception, the Initiative has promoted active and structured participation. Each country has a national focal point and, at the regional level, both employers ‘and workers’ organizations are represented on a permanent basis, ensuring effective tripartite governance. Decision-making is shared, which strengthens political consensus and technical coherence among the different actors. This participatory approach has been key to the development of innovative tools such as the Child Labour Risk Identification Model (CLRISK), which generates risk maps based on official data to guide public policies; the Regional Observatory, which systematizes and compares evidence across countries; and Monitora+, a monitoring tool that allows to record and visualize the actions that governments and sectors promote to prevent and eradicate child labour (PECL).

The Initiative is recognised as an effective platform for South-South cooperation. It has facilitated real transfers of knowledge, methodologies and solutions between countries in the global South, strengthening their capacity to address a transnational challenge in a collaborative manner. For example, more than 11 countries have implemented CLRISK Model (representing 73% of the region’s territory), adapting it to their contexts.  Additionally, inter-institutional protocols, referral mechanisms and legal frameworks have been shared in peer-to-peer learning processes promoted by the region itself.   Among the most outstanding achievements, more than 2,700 municipalities at high risk of child labour have been identified thanks to CLRISK Model; country action has been strengthened through evidence published and updated in the Regional Observatory; and the monitoring of action plans has been improved through Monitora+.

The Initiative has also influenced public policies, has been recognized in international forums such as the Global Conference and the Alliance 8.7, and has promoted the inclusion of child labour in collective agreements and sectoral strategies.   Its innovation is expressed both in the use of technologies and data to prioritise action and in the way it articulates the efforts of multiple actors at all levels. The incorporation of emerging issues such as the link between child labour and the care economy, the climate crisis or digital platforms has anticipated future scenarios and expanded countries capacity to respond.   The sustainability of the Initiative is based on its tripartite legitimacy, its institutional anchoring in the countries and its articulation with national and regional agendas. To this is added a new Strategic Plan 2026-2030, the collective decision to strengthen governance and the continued support of partners such as AECID, USDOL, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency, as well as regional cooperation such as the Andalusian Agency for International Cooperation.

These conditions ensure that the Initiative remains effective in the medium and long term. Finally, its flexible and evidence-based design allows it to be adapted to different country contexts. There are clear conditions to promote its extension to other regions by promoting political commitment, data availability, active inter-institutional coordination and technical support.   The experience of Latin America and the Caribbean demonstrates that it is possible to build a coherent, legitimate, and sustainable regional response to child labour. The Regional Initiative is not only a good practice in itself, but also a replicable model for other regions of the world seeking to move decisively toward a childhood free from child labour.