Session organized by Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) in collaboration with Estee Lauder Companies
Webcast of the session:Meeting linkMeeting number: 848 528 134
Password: xUFKhDFj
Description of the session:
This session provides a case study on the lessons from multi-stakeholder collaboration over several years to eliminate child labour in mica mining in India. The discussion will feature lessons from business and civil society as well as the State Government of Jharkhand and its measures to protect children in their state from business-related human rights abuses through the replication of the Child Friendly Village (CFV) model.
Session Objectives:- Highlight the role of state governments and resources as critical success factors
- Highlight a concrete example of how risks to children in a specific context can be prevented and addressed through human rights due diligence
- Highlight lessons from multi-stakeholder collaboration to prevent and address business-related human rights abuse.
- Share lessons from one tested model (CVF) in mica mining area through a multi-stakeholder approach to eliminate child labour
- Explore whether and how lessons from this model can be replicated in other sectors and contexts
Key Discussion Questions:Government focused:- What is the role of the state government and how has their role evolved?
- What were the factors that led to the State Government of Jharkhand’s desire to eradicate child labour in mica mining?
- Why now?
- From the government perspective, what are some of the challenges to getting companies to ensure that child labour is not part of their supply or value chain?
- What made the government decide that the CFV was the model to use?
Model focused:- How do you engage with the community to identify risks and impacts?
- How do you get buy-in from the community to implement a CFV in each village?
- What is the time commitment required to ensure a CFV is established and will sustain itself long term?
Corporate responsibility focused:- Explain how risk to children is addressed through human rights due diligence covering the value chain?
- What are the lessons of what it takes to create a partnership with civil society organizations to effectively prevent and address adverse impacts on children in the communities linked to the mica supply chain?
Format of the session:- Introduction by the moderator
- Play a 5-minute video
- Presentation by the speakers
- Moderated Q&A from the audience
- Concluding remarks by the moderator
Background of the session:
The concept of a child friendly village or Bal Mitra Gram (BMG) directly addresses the multi-dimensional problems that create and maintain child labour. It attacks the root causes to ensure sustainability of the eradication of child labour. Not only does this approach aim to withdraw children from work and enhance the quality of education, but it also aims to ensure a holistic development of Indian villages to create a child friendly society. BMGs emphasize child participation, community mobilization, the promotion of education, victim’s/survivor’s empowerment, gender equity and awareness on gender issues, the convergence of various government schemes and programmes and ensure the long term sustainability of the initiatives through the creation of individual community infrastructure needs based on community mobilization and resources base.
This approach promotes human rights, especially the protection of children and women’s rights through child centric village development and multi-stakeholder engagement. KSCF launched the CFV concept in 2001 in India and 2005 in the state of Jharkhand. This model calls for long-term partnership with corporations, government, technical/academic institutes, and NGOs/Civil Society Organizations.
This session explores, among other topics, the partnership between KSCF and Estee Lauder Companies in promoting CFVs and how to engage with state level governments on preventing child labour in the mica-mining region. With the support of the state government to scale this model as an effective method to address child labour, there is the potential to scale this model to make the entire state of Jharkhand child labour free.
The session also emphasizes the success of the model as well as the role of each stakeholder in addressing the issue of child labour in the mica industry in which governments have a key role to play as catalysts in ensuring businesses respect human rights.
