Dear all
Thanks FAO for creating the opportunity to contribute on this and thanks all for ideas being shared so far. I would like to make a contribution on the innovation sub-theme, especially relating to use of digitalisation to address child labour.
I don’t know if much has been done in that area to date, especially in least developed countries? It could be interesting to discuss via channels such as physical brainstorming sessions or webinars, how digital tools could support the fight against child labour and/or take stock of existing practices and possibilities in that area. This could be instrumental as digitalisation, including the use of mobile phones and social media, is increasingly being democratised, which is also the case in the agricultural sector. Among other stakeholders, youth not subject to child labour and who can have access to social media could be mobilised to contribute to monitoring or creating awareness on child labour in their areas using these platforms.
Another idea could be to promote and support the development of national or regional online child labour portals (where these do not exist – I guess it’s the case in many least developing countries) that could help support the fight against child labour. Issues to monitor could include what policies are put in place and how they are implemented, key activities or best practices from various national or regional organisations in this area. This tool could also offer an interface for alerting or documenting verified child labour practices, as well for advocacy and awareness raising on this issue. Platforms that can be managed in a multistakeholder framework may be particularly instrumental; sustainability of these platforms (not always easy to maintain online portals!) should be considered from the onset.
Alerting on child labour should be carefully managed in order to avoid defamation, especially because child labour can sometimes be a contentious issue and some stakeholders may have different understandings of child labour as it is normatively recognized.
Specific mobile applications, integrating social media platforms such as Facebook could be developed and used to favour networking, awareness raising and monitoring on that issue.
If you have examples of how digital technologies are being used in your country to address child labour, kindly share.
Regards
Ken Lohento
Digital agriculture & youth entrepreneurship specialist
CTA
Ken Lohento