"In 2022 we decided to coordinate the efforts of the Central American sugar sector to prevent child labor. The result was extremely successful! The visibility and reach that our actions had was much greater, so in 2023 we are excited to continue working regionally to prevent this practice", said Mario Amador, President of AICA.

The campaign will include workshops, talks, contests and informative materials, which will seek to reach, among others, workers in the sector, sugarcane growers, as well as members of the communities in the areas of influence of the sugar agribusiness throughout Central America. The objective is to educate and raise awareness of what child labor is, its causes and effects, the legal consequences it generates, as well as the conditions under which adolescent labor is permitted, while promoting a paradigm based on respect and care for children and adolescents.

Juan Carlos Fernández, Executive Director of AICA, said: "In this second edition of the campaign, in addition to the technical support of the ILO, we also have the support of UNESCO. Their participation seeks to emphasize the role played by access to and full exercise of the right to education, which provides children with the opportunities to develop the skills necessary to achieve a decent life and decent work and to actively contribute to the progress and well-being of their communities".

Driving associations

The Child Labor Prevention Campaign 2023 is promoted by the Asociación de Azucareros del Istmo Centroamericano (AICA) and its member organizations, the Asociación de Azucareros de Guatemala (ASAZGUA), the Asociación Azucarera de El Salvador, la Asociación de Productores de Azúcar de Honduras (APAH),  the Comité Nacional de Productores de Azúcar de Nicaragua (CNPA), the Liga Agrícola Industrial de la Caña de Azúcar de Costa Rica (LAICA) and the Asociación de Azúcares y Alcoholes de Panamá (AZUCALPA). It has the technical support of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as the collaboration of the Coca-Cola Company, the Red de Integración Centroamericana por la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (Red INTEGRARSE) and the Federación de Cámaras del Agro de Centroamérica (FECAGRO).

What is child labor?

Child labor" is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity. Child labor is detrimental to the physical and psychological development of minors, and interferes with their schooling (by depriving them of the possibility of attending classes, forcing them to leave school prematurely, or requiring them to combine study with heavy and time-consuming work).

In the region, child labor is prohibited for all persons under 14 or 15 years of age, depending on the respective legislation of each country. Hazardous Child Labor" is prohibited for all persons under the age of 18, given that it affects their physical, mental or moral well-being, and/or interferes with their schooling. The countries of the region have ratified ILO Conventions 138, concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, and 182, concerning the Worst Forms of Child Labor, ratifying their commitment to the prevention and eradication of this scourge.

Translated by: A.M