Addressing Child Labor and Forced Labor in Coffee Supply Chain

Overview: With a population of 8.3 million, Honduras is one of the countries with the highest percentage of poverty in Latin America. 66% of the Honduran population lives in poverty and one in five Hondurans in rural areas live in extreme poverty (with less than US$1.90 per day). Honduras also faces one of the highest levels of economic inequality in Latin America. Another major challenge faced by Honduras is the uncontrolled crime and violence that is hitting the country. Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with hundreds of children leaving the country every year to head north because of the fear of being murdered by gangs. To design and coordinate the strategy of this project “#noneleftbehind: Addressing Child Labor and Forced Labor in the Coffee Supply Chain in Honduras” ILO has held various meetings with the STSS, the Board of Directors of IHCAFE, COHEP, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Sub Secretary of Social Development. As a strategic partner, IHCAFE will provide technical assistance through its staff for the implementation of this project. The project will build on the existing Strategy to Fight Child Labor in the Honduran Coffee Sector developed by IHCAFE´s Technical Committee on child labor and that has been inserted in the Honduran Strategic Plan 2016-2020 to prevent and eradicate child labor developed by the STSS and other stakeholders. This document contains strategic guidelines to combat child labor in the agro industrial supply chain. The coffee sector shares the belief that children and adolescents should receive comprehensive education, which allows them to develop their capacities and provide better conditions for life. The strategy includes the promotion of coffee culture as a business that allows for upward mobility towards dignified and decent employment under the Honduran legal framework. This project will build on these key strategies.

Project symbol

HND/17/01/USA

Admin unit

DWT/CO-San Jose

Start date

15/12/2017

End date

30/06/2024

Total allocation

2500000

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

2500000

Development Partners

USA, Department of Labor, Bureau for International Labor Affairs

Country/Countries

Honduras

Outcomes

Outcome 1: Strong, modernized normative action for social justice