Promoting socio-economic inclusion through enhanced access to education and training opportunities for children on plantations in Sabah

Malaysia is the second largest producer of palm oil in the world after Indonesia. The country accounted for 25.8% and 34.3% of the world’s palm oil production and exports respectively in 2020. The palm oil industry plays an important role in Malaysia’s economy. The gross domestic product (GDP) contribution from palm oil in Malaysia was estimated to be at 2.5%, while palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture products made up the 3rd largest export item, generating a value of RM6.59 billion (USD$1.55bn), or 5% of the total exports as of October 2022. Malaysia’s palm oil industry also represents a major source of employment, hiring more than 500,000 workers in 2019, of whom 80% were migrants from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. However, the reduction of the incidence of forced and child labour is a challenge in this industry. The Malaysian government-produced Employment Survey in Plantations 2018 – with technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) - estimated the prevalence of forced labour among oil palm plantation workers in Malaysia as 8 for every 1,000 oil palm workers. The survey also estimated that 33,600 children aged 5-17 years are child labour. The child labour incidence occurs higher in East Malaysia. Child labour in oil palm plantations in the Sabah state accounts for 58.8% (estimated at 19,800 children) of all child labour in Malaysia’s oil palm plantations, which is much higher than Sarawak at 39.5% (13,200). In Sabah, children’s involvement in plantation work is widespread and traditionally perceived to be informal assistance to their parents who work as plantation workers, even though work on the oil palm plantations is highly risky and can be detrimental to children’s physical safety, development and education. This situation is aggravated by the limited access to formal education as well as the lack of childcare facilities and the economic vulnerability of the migrant families. Despite efforts made by existing alternative learning centres, many children of migrant workers in oil palm plantations do not have access to quality education. Plantations owned by smallholders often do not provide education services at all due to the lack of resources and awareness. Furthermore, migrant parents working in oil palm plantation lack awareness of the right for children to receive education and its long-term benefits for the improvement of their livelihood. This 18-month joint project with a proposed budget of EURO 600,000 delivered by the ILO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) aims to promote socio-economic inclusion through enhanced access to and participation in education and training opportunities and livelihood of children in the Sabah State. In order to enhance their education and livelihood opportunities, the project will reach children and their families, both documented and undocumented, living in or working round oil palm plantations in Semporna or Tawau in Sabah. The project will: (i) increase understanding of the issue of child labour in Sabah State, especially the negative effects of children from migrant parents working in the palm oil industry among key stakeholders, including government, employers’ organizations and other social partners; and (ii) improve access to and participation in quality education and training for children living or working in and around oil palm plantations. To achieve these objectives, the project will deliver tangible outputs, which include improved data of children working in oil palm plantations, increased awareness of child labour and rights to education among key stakeholders in line with the upcoming amendment of relevant regulations, the provision of replicable education and training model, and a joint roadmap between the government and the UN.

Project symbol

MYS/23/02/EUR

Admin unit

RO-Asia and the Pacific

Start date

01/01/2024

End date

30/06/2025

Total allocation

428415

Total expenditure

Status

Active

415158

Development Partners

Delegation of the European Union to Thailand

Country/Countries

Malaysia

Outcomes

Outcome 3: Full and productive employment for just transitions