After four years of hard work, the Project “Progressive Elimination and Prevention of Child Labor in Mines” (PETIM) has reached its final stage, contributing to the elimination of one of the worst forms of child labor, “Child Work Inside of Mines.”
Project PETIM, a joint effort between CARE –CEPROMIN, carried out in two mining areas blighted by poverty: Llallagua and Potosi’s Cerro Rico, contributed to eliminating one of the worst forms of child labor – “Child Labor Inside of Mines.” The effort was not easy, for we had to face society’s limited understanding of this ailment and the norms that regulate it, as well as indifference on the part of the authorities that should be implementing them.
Social context in these mines is infused with traditions that interweave cultural practices, social, union and institutional experiences, which are hard to penetrate or change. This scenario is made bleaker by the fact that an economic upswing has failed to take place in mining regions. Notwithstanding, we are proud of the fact that we managed to mobilize numerous social actors, grassroots organizations, non-governmental organizations, authorities, universities and academic institutions, families of miners, teachers and students – both at a local and national level – who rallied around the project and carried out significant tasks.
Using an educational approach and a stance directed to the protection of children and young people rights, the project has reached a population of a total of 15,000 students of both genders, in 33 Educational Units. The quality of education has been improved in these Educational Units through the application of innovative pedagogical managerial methodologies that have managed to incorporate into the curricular design the issue of child labor. At this time, there are 400 trained teachers, organized into “Local Technical Teams” that provide for continuity in the task of preventing child labor. There are currently approximately 50 local and national authorities in the educational and social services areas that are committed to the project.
More than 12,000 families of miners, mobilized in school associations and grassroots organizations, now understand the risks involved, and are advancing better educational conditions for their sons and daughters. An effective support on the part of the municipalities has been lobbied for, in order to improve school infrastructure. In Potosi you will most probably hear of the CENTRO LA PLATA, built in the very center of Cerro. This work lobbied by PETIM, has resulted in the mobilization of the community in the search of solutions to their demands, with 250 children receiving psycho-pedagogical assistance and meals. The sustainability of the project is now insured, thanks in part to the petition before the Ministry of Education, which will contribute with two teachers trained for both elementary and high school levels.
The experience and positioning on the part of CARE in defense of educational rights of children working in mines, has resulted in the development of an effective leadership both in the National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor, and the Mining Sub-commission. By bringing into the fold these two institutions, we have managed to contribute in the elaboration of the Policy on Child Labor, currently being worked out by CARE international, in coordination with the Basic Education Unit.
The harvest: four years of project PETIM _ingles.jpg )
