When I had children, I had to stop working to take care of my family. But managing with only my husband’s income was extremely difficult. A job vacancy at a garment factory with a newly opened childcare centre, gave me an unexpected opportunity to return to work.

My name is Meseret Tamru, and I am 29 years old. I live in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. I was born and raised in a small rural town in the Amhara Region. When I was young, I used to travel for an hour each day to get to school. By the end of 6th grade, I stopped studying.

When I was 22, I decided to move away from my small town to look for work in Addis Ababa. I went to the city with a friend who was older and had more experience than me. Back then, I was unfamiliar with the roads and the city. The journey was quite terrifying, but still, we were filled with hope for a better future.

Workplace childcare facilities allowed me to thrive

In Addis Ababa, we went straight from the bus station to a local agent’s office to find work. After a few days, we found a family willing to hire us as domestic workers. Being a domestic worker was very hard, but as I didn’t know the city or have any other place to go, I had to be patient and persevere.

A while later, I met my husband. This was another turning point in my life. When I married, I left my job as a domestic worker and began working as an assistant at the local agent’s office.

I had a job before, but after giving birth, I stopped working and stayed at home for almost five years. Without an income, it was difficult to provide for my children and myself. (Ethiopia, 2024)

In 2019, I gave birth to my first child at the age of 24. After that, I had to stop working to take care of my family as childcare was unaffordable for us. My second daughter, Kalkidan, was born in 2021. Her name means "Promise".

When I didn't work, it was very difficult to cover all our expenses with only my husband’s income. We had to pay rent, buy groceries, diapers, and clothing. Every month, we struggled to cover these costs. Our situation caused me a lot of stress. I was constantly hoping for an opportunity to return to work and help support the family.

It was very difficult to cover all our expenses with only my husband’s income... I was constantly hoping for an opportunity to return to work and help support the family.

Then, we saw an announcement for a vacancy posted in our neighbourhood. It was for a job at a garment factory with a newly opened childcare centre.

I was thrilled at the idea of returning to work. I could have an income and a place to take care of my youngest child nearby. This would make any parent happy.

I immediately decided to apply for the job. When I spoke with the garment factory management and explained my situation, they offered me the job on the spot.

Even though I always wanted to work and earn money for my family, I couldn’t because I had no one to take care of my baby. When this opportunity came, I grasped it with joy. (Ethiopia, 2024)

When I first visited the garment factory, I was really impressed. The childcare centre was very clean and well-organized. There were toys and napping areas and bathrooms for the children. It had everything that they needed. I could see that the childcare workers were taking good care of the children, so I had no worries about my daughter's well-being.

Since my daughter started going to the childcare centre, she has become more active. She spends time with other children, playing and talking. Also, she has started eating a variety of foods, which makes me very happy. Previously, she didn’t play much and only knew a few words like “mama” and “baba.” Now, she enjoys playing and knows many more words.

Getting the job was a huge relief. Now, I can earn a living while my daughter is close to me with good care. I had never heard of a facility like this before.

I can see my daughter during my breaks. It makes it feel like home for both of us. I am so happy now, because I am back at work, my baby is close to me and I know the trained childcare workers are taking good care of her. (Ethiopia, 2024)

My job at the factory is tailoring. My tasks depend on the orders that we receive. Recently, I was working on T-shirts and now I am making different kinds of tote bags.

At the moment, I start work at 8am and go home at 5pm. The factory is only a few minutes' walk from our home, so it's very convenient. During my breaks, I can see my daughter. It really feels like home for the mothers and the children.

Prices are increasing now in Addis Ababa, so I am incredibly grateful to be back at work. But it’s not just about the money; I also feel more emotionally stable because I am working.

I am a witness to how these facilities can change lives. It is very important for mothers to get back to work. It's not just to earn money and afford necessities. It also reduces stress when you are able to provide enough for yourself and your family.

The enterprise also benefits from this because experienced workers can stay in their jobs. They do not leave because they lack childcare. I advise mothers to look for opportunities like these so that they can get back to work. I believe it would be really helpful if there were childcare facilities at other garment factories.

According to ILO research conducted in 12 garment factories in Ethiopia, nearly half of workers said that between one and ten employees in their factory had resigned due to pregnancy or childcare responsibilities.

Most of the factories in the study (8 of 12) did not provide workplace childcare services, leading to higher rates of absenteeism, with workers in these factories being more likely to take sick leave to deal with family responsibilities than workers in factories with childcare services.

In response to these challenges, the ILO project “Promoting Workers’ Rights and Gender Equality in Africa,” funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, advanced care solutions in the garment sector and supported key care conventions in Ethiopia.

It organized capacity-building for government officials and labour inspectors and held workshops on maternity protection, labour law, and collective bargaining with the Confederation of Ethiopian Employers’ Association (CEEA) and the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU).   

In collaboration with Partnership for Change (PfC), a Care@Work training manual was developed and piloted, training 216 workers and employers across four factories on care-related topics.

The project also established childcare centres at two garment factories and provided furniture at a third, helping mothers to return to work and enabling factories to retain talent and promote family-friendly workplaces.

The International Day of Care and Support on October 29 highlights the need to invest in resilient, inclusive care and support systems. This is a key contribution to gender equality and plays a crucial role in supporting families, communities, businesses and societies.

Interview with Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Promoting workers’ rights and gender equality at work in Africa

Care at Work in Ethiopia's Garment Sector

29 October - International Day of Care and Support

Meseret Tamru, an employee in a garment factory in Ethiopia, had to stop working when she had children. An ILO-supported childcare centre at her workplace has allowed her to return to employment and helped contribute to the family finances.

For most of my life, I worked as a trader, buying and selling goods from different places. But some years ago, I was forced to stop my activity and take care of my husband when he fell ill. At that time, a family social protection benefit helped to ease my financial burden and allowed me to pay for school supplies and other basic needs for my children. Thanks to a recent increase in the benefit, I have also been able to grow my small fruit stand business.

My name is Astou Gningue. I am 73 years old and the mother of 10 children. I currently live in Pikine, in the Dakar region of Senegal and have done so for 51 years.

When I was much younger, I lived in a village. There, I used to raise goats and sell them. I also bought fabrics and sold them.

Later, when I married and came to Dakar, I continued the same activity. I used to go to Rosso, near Mauritania, and to Gambia to buy goods and fabrics and sell them back home.

I carried out my commercial activities because a wife must also help her husband to run the household. She cannot just sit back and expect everything from a man.

Some years ago, my husband became ill. He could no longer work, and my children were still very young. Then, all the burden fell on me.

A social protection benefit transformed our daily lives

During my husband's illness, I shuttled back and forth between the hospital and home. I couldn't leave him alone and therefore I had to stop my commercial activities.

My life was hard when I stopped working. I spent all my time worrying about feeding my children.

I started running a small business in front of my house, using the money I had saved from buying and selling fabrics. I would go to the market to buy fruits and other goods to sell.

I looked after my husband, and I managed as best I could to look after my children.

After my husband had been sick for some time, he was admitted to hospital. When he was discharged, he returned home. A year later, he passed away.

Before receiving the family social protection benefit, I was in great difficulty. Long before that, I was financially independent, but when my husband became ill, I stopped working and things became complicated. Senegal (June, 2024)

Then one day, my son fell ill. I had to take care of him and could not work, I had no money. That's when one of my neighbours came to tell me that a family social protection benefit was available.

I went to the post office early in the morning. I waited in line until the afternoon, without getting paid. The next day, I went back to the post office at 4am and that day I received the social protection benefit.

That day, the family benefit was a great help.

One day, my son fell ill. I had to take care of him and could not work,  I had no money. That's when one of my neighbours came to tell me that a family social protection benefit was available.

At that time, I had children who were students, and I had to pay for their schooling. Thanks to the social protection benefit, I was also able to buy school supplies for them.

Studying is very important in life. When I was young, I really wanted to go to school, but our locality didn't have a school.

The fact that I didn't go to school hurts me now. I run a women's association and, as I'm not educated, others must write for me. But I don't know if people faithfully translate what I say.

The social protection benefit has really helped. It allows me to build up my capital and better manage the extra expenses for my children. Senegal (June 2024)

After I received the family social protection benefit, I went to the market and stocked up on more mangoes and other fruit to resell. With the benefit, I have strengthened my activities.

Since I was a young girl, commerce has always fascinated me. I love to work. I got this passion from my parents, who worked all the time. They taught me that work is the only way to support yourself and be self-sufficient.

My mother farmed and raised sheep, goats, and cattle. I inherited my mother's culture of hard work. She worked until the day she died. I instilled these values in my children, without exception, both boys and girls.

Since I was a young girl, commerce has always fascinated me. When my husband passed away, it would have been difficult if I wasn't used to working. Senegal (June 2024)

I know a few recipients of the family social protection benefit. 

Every Monday, as women beneficiaries, we get together to exchange ideas. We talk about the family benefit and how we use the money that we've received.

Recently, I received an increase in the family benefit. Now, we no longer receive 25,000 CFA francs (US$42). We receive 35,000 CFA francs (US$58) and it makes us even stronger. Thanks to the benefit increase, I've doubled the quantity of goods I buy.

I'm very happy with this increase because we now have more purchasing power. It has transformed our daily lives.

Thanks to the benefit increase, I've doubled the quantity of goods I buy. I'm very happy with this increase because we now have more purchasing power.

I've been through some very difficult times.

Today, some of my children work in commerce. One of my children works for the national electricity company and another one works at the town hall. The others are unemployed.

Some of them are also ill: my eldest son and the youngest. To this day, I continue to care for my children and receiving the family social protection benefit lightens my load.

In April 2023 Senegal increased family social protection benefits for 316,000 households with children by increasing the budget of the country’s main social assistance programme by 40%. The budget increase was financed through the reallocation of subsidies on petroleum products and electricity.

To prevent social tensions during its roll-out, accompanying measures for the transport sector and households previously benefiting from the electricity subsidies were implemented to maintain the purchasing power of workers and families.

The ILO was instrumental in achieving this policy change thanks to consistent advocacy as part of the Improving Synergies between Social Protection and Public Finance Management Programme (SP&PFM), funded by the European Union. The reduction and reallocation of energy subsidies was one of the key recommendations of the programme following analysis of fiscal space.

SP&PFM was a four-year programme (2019-2023) that aimed to strengthen the design and financing of national social protection systems. It was funded by the European Union and implemented jointly by the ILO, UNICEF, and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors.

Interview with Stéphane Devaux, EU delegation to Senegal

Senegal adopts recommendations from the SP&PFM analysis of its fiscal space

International Symposium on Improving Synergies between Social Protection and Public Finance Management - Panel 2: Advocating for investing more and better in social protection

Improving Synergies between Social Protection and Public Finance Management Programme

Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors

Astou Gningue, a mother of 10 children living in Senegal, sells fruit and other products to support her family. A social protection benefit has helped her to support her family’s basic needs when she could not work and enabled her to grow her business.

When I was very young, my parents passed away due to HIV. Some years later, I learned that I was also positive. I have faced stigma from society for my status. But I want people to understand that this is a manageable condition, and we can lead the same lives as everyone else. We shouldn't face discrimination.

I am 23-years old, and I was born and raised in Surat, India.

When I was about four, my dad passed away. It was only identified that he had HIV at the last stage of his illness, so he was never able to receive treatment.

Around a year later, in 2006, my mom also died. She had started receiving treatment for HIV after my dad tested positive, but she wasn't able to recover. Since then, I have been living with my maternal grandmother and uncle.

After my parents passed away, I wasn't immediately tested for HIV. It was a few years later, when my uncle asked for everyone in the family to get tested and that was when I discovered my status.

Everyone in the family tested negative, except for me. I was positive.

My HIV status won't prevent me from achieving my career goals

When my father passed away, none of his relatives came to the hospital to visit. They said they didn’t want to touch his body for fear of contracting HIV.

I am still in contact with my father’s side of the family, but they don’t ask me to come and visit. The stigma is there.

But people can get a disease at any time in their lives. Everyone faces problems. So, why should we live in fear?

HIV already has positive in its name, so why should we see it so negatively?

Even though I don’t remember much about my parents, I know my mother said that I should make my parents and my family proud.

Thanks to my sewing work, I can cover my own expenses with what I earn. I am also able to contribute to supporting the family. Surat, India (2024)

Since 2014, I’ve been receiving treatment for HIV through a non-profit community organization, The Gujarat State Network of Positive People – or GSNP+.

Back in school, I was absent a lot. During part of my treatment, I would get admitted to hospital for 10 - 15 days to ensure that there were no side effects.

At the time, the school called my uncle to ask why I was taking so much leave. We trusted them and told them about my HIV status. But they used it against me.

My school coach told my entire class about my status. After that, I faced derogatory comments from my classmates.

But some friends were supportive. They reminded me that I had done nothing wrong. I had contracted HIV at birth and so I shouldn't take people’s chatter to heart.

After school, I wanted to earn and become independent. But the school didn’t have anyone to guide us properly on what to do after graduating.

I have always been interested in arts and I wanted to do something creative. Two years ago, I was able to take skills development courses. With support from ILO and UNAIDS, I received training through the GSNP+ and studied computer literacy and sewing skills. 

The sewing course lasted for around six months. It started with basics on how to operate a sewing machine, how to cut fabrics and draw. Then we learnt how to create a finished product.

Now, I work from home sewing for friends and neighbours. With what I earn, I can cover my own expenses and help to support my family.

If a few of us have an open HIV status, then we can provide peer-to-peer counselling and guide each other on how to get the right information and resources. If the youth work together, it will benefit all our community. Surat, India (2024)

About a year ago, I decided to be open about my HIV status.

Before that, I was in a relationship with someone who was HIV negative. I was under pressure to not disclose my status to his family and, in the end, he refused to marry me.

I realized then why it's important to have an open status. I didn’t want to hide something like this. I wanted to live freely.

The right to life and personal liberty are in the Indian constitution. This is applicable for every citizen, even if you have HIV or another issue. So, we shouldn't face discrimination.

In our constitution, Article 21 guarantees the right to life, and this applies to every citizen. It doesn’t mention that you can’t live your life equal to others if you have HIV, so why should we face discrimination? Surat, India (2024)

During my training, I met other people of my age living with the same diagnosis. It helped me to feel less alone. It gave me motivation to know that there are others in the same situation.

For the last two years, I have been a volunteer with the GSNP+, as I want to support my community.

Many young people are hesitant to share their issues with older members of the community, so it’s helpful for them to have a volunteer who is closer to their own age.

We ask them if they are facing any challenges and offer to visit their families to help them explain things to them.

Now that my status is open, other people are also willing to come forward and speak to me as they feel that I can understand them better.

In the future, I want to join the Indian police service or IPS. I’m currently studying online for the civil services exam. That is the goal I have set for myself.

I have already attempted the civil services exam once. Around that time, my grandmother had just become paralysed and when I didn't pass the exam, I was really depressed. I wanted to give up.

I spoke to the staff at GSNP+ about how I was unable to move on mentally. They gave me a lot of support and I managed to start prepping for the exam again.

The ILO office in India has supported the development of a National HIV and tuberculosis (TB) policy in the world of work. It has created training and advocacy tools to implement the policy and combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination in line with the ILO Recommendation No. 200 (R 200) under different phases of the National AIDS Control Programme, since 2001.

Under the Joint UN programme of UNAIDS (Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2018-2025), the ILO is focusing on promotion of voluntary HIV and TB screening and livelihood promotion for vulnerable groups.

Under the current phase of the ILO’s project in collaboration with the Gujarat State Network of Positive People (GSNP+), 550 people were identified who are HIV positive, come from families affected by HIV, or are members of the LGBTQ+ community. The programme helped them to build their skills in various trades and link up with employment agencies.

With a focus on voluntary HIV testing and counselling, Indians living with HIV are diagnosed early and put on life-saving anti-retroviral treatment (ART). There has been a significant decline in new HIV cases since 2010 (around 44 per cent), but still, 65,000 new HIV cases were detected in 2023.

Interview with Nandini Kapoor Dhingra, Policy and Strategy Adviser, UNAIDS India

National AIDS Control Organization, India

Gujarat State Network of people living with HIV (GSNP+)

The ILO Global HIV Discrimination in the World of Work survey

Reducing HIV testing and social protection coverage gaps amongst migrant workers through workplace intervention in Gujarat, India

Having an income reduces HIV stigma and discrimination – VOICES story from Zambia

VCT@WORK: Voluntary, confidential HIV counselling and testing for workers

Reena Mistry, 23, aspires to join the Indian civil services. She also works as a volunteer with youth and lives with HIV. She became financially independent by training as a seamstress through a project implemented by the ILO in collaboration with UNAIDS.

As a migrant domestic worker, I was abused by my employers. Now, I raise awareness so that other Indonesian women have the knowledge to protect themselves from exploitation. No woman should have to endure violence at the hands of their employers, like I did.

My name is Win Faidah and I am from East Lampung in Indonesia. I am 40 years old, and I am married and have two children. Since graduating from middle school, I have been a domestic worker.

After I got married, my husband's relative suggested that I should go abroad as a migrant worker. He told me that I could earn a lot of money and have a good life. At the time my mother strongly disapproved and prohibited me from going.

However, when I was pregnant with my first child, the relative came back to our house, encouraging me to work overseas. This time I accepted so I could provide for our family's needs.

After three months training in Jakarta I was flown to an Asian country to work. When I left Indonesia, my baby was nine months old.

I still cannot stop the tears when I relive the devastating memory of my experience as a migrant domestic worker. (2024)

On arriving abroad we were given documents about how to treat employers, clean the house and other tasks. It felt like I was taking a school exam. A week later we discovered that none of us had passed the test, so we would return to Indonesia.

Back in Indonesia we stayed in a remote house in the woods. We weren't allowed out and we couldn't contact our families.

I pleaded with the agent to send me home. But he refused. He told me that we would be taken to another Asian country to work. He said: "If you want to go home you need to pay the company IDR20 million (US$1200).” I had no choice but to work.

I regularly share my experience as a migrant worker and advocate in the village and even in areas like Malang in East Java. I want to inspire other Indonesian women. (2024)

In the new country I was taken to a three-story house to work. My main duties included taking care of the house and my employer’s elderly mother.

For the first two months the working conditions were tolerable. But they soon got worse. I was rarely given food and the employer's mother started beating me.

One day, I learnt that the neighbour’s domestic worker was from the same province of Indonesia as me. She warned me to be careful and told me that the previous domestic worker had run away.

She said: "I will help you to escape. I will find you a good employer. Otherwise, you could die here."

No day passed without torture. My eyes were blindfolded, my back and chest were burnt with an iron.... I thought I was going to die, and I was ready to die.

Three months later I escaped from the house. I vividly remember that night. I packed my belongings and around midnight I climbed over the back gate to where my neighbour’s domestic worker was waiting to take me to my new employer.

My new employer was a stay-at-home mother with four children. Her husband was a contractor. They lived in a three-bedroom flat. I didn't have my own room but I didn't mind as they treated me well.

However, after a few months, my employer's husband began flirting. I felt uncomfortable and scared. I told my employer that I missed my daughter and wanted to go home, but she refused.

Then one night, while I slept in the kitchen, I felt hands touching my body. I woke up and saw my employer's husband. The next day, I told my employer about the incident. But her husband denied the allegation and instead accused me of flirting with him.

When my employers abused me I could not contact anyone as I did not have a mobile phone. I tried to heal by myself. My employers never took me to a doctor. (2024)

After that no day passed without torture.

My eyes were blindfolded, my back and chest were burnt with an iron. My head was hit by a hammer and my hair was shaved. My fingernails were cut with pliers, and I was splashed with boiled water. I was beaten and punched.

During this time my employer's husband sexually assaulted me four times. I thought I was going to die, and I was ready to die. 

I tried to tend to my wounds alone with products such as toothpaste. But when my body began to deteriorate and the wounds started to smell, my employers wrapped me in a blanket and threw me in an isolated area near a palm oil plantation.

With the support of Yunita Rohani from the Migrant Worker Trade Union, I followed training programmes at the Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC) in East Lampung, under the ILO’s Safe and Fair programme. (2024)

I was rescued by a local citizen who called the police. For a month, I was treated in hospital and then I stayed in a shelter during the trial. It was long and hard, but I was relieved that my employers were sentenced to eight years in prison. The agent in Indonesia was also sentenced to three years in prison.

With the help of the Indonesian Embassy, I could finally return home. When I arrived, my mother shed tears saying that she could feel my pain. My husband welcomed me with open arms, despite the assault that I had experienced.

Unlike my family, my community treated me like an outcast. They mocked me about the assault, saying that it was my fault. I felt devastated and ashamed.

I was blessed to meet Yunita Rohani, a field officer at the Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC) from the Indonesia Migrant Worker Union (SBMI). With her support I joined training programmes of the MRC in East Lampung district, as part of the ILO’s Safe and Fair programme.

I learnt about gender equality, the prevention of gender-based violence for women migrant workers, women's leadership, and trade unions.

Most importantly, I learnt to voice my aspirations and make myself heard.

I used to wonder why I didn't die after all that I had endured. Now, I realize that I survived so I could tell my story and empower other women migrants.

The training helped me become stronger. I now actively share my experiences at trade union meetings and at the MRC at local and national level. I want to inspire Indonesian women to work abroad through a legal process. They must prepare themselves with adequate knowledge so that they can speak up if they face problems.

Nowadays, I help my sister by taking care of her toddler. Both of my younger sisters are migrant workers. I'm happy they have good experiences and can support their families. I hope no other women migrant workers endure what I experienced.

I used to wonder why I didn't die after all that I had endured. Now, I realize that I survived so I could tell my story and empower other women migrant workers.

I hope that the public never forgets our contribution to the national economy as migrant workers. We risk our lives to work abroad.

June 21 marks the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the ILO’s Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), the first international treaty to recognize the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.

Sixty-one percent of Indonesian migrant workers are women. Women migrant workers are primarily in the care and domestic work sectors, which have lower levels of labour law protection in both Indonesia and destination countries. Consequently, migrants are at greater risk of discrimination, violence, harassment, abuse and exploitation.

The Safe and Fair: Realising Women Migrant Workers’ Rights and Opportunities in the ASEAN Region programme was part of the European Union-United Nations Spotlight Initiative to End Violence against Women and Girls from 2018-2023.

Safe and Fair was implemented through a partnership between the ILO and UN Women, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the objective of ensuring safe and fair labour migration for all women in the ASEAN region (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

In Indonesia the project pioneered the establishment of one-stop migrant worker resource centres (MRC) that provide services to women migrant workers and their communities. In East Lampung, the MRC is jointly operated by the district government, Women Solidarity Sebay Lampung (SP), and Indonesia Migrant Worker Union (SBMI). 

The services include pre-employment information, psychosocial counselling and training on safe migration, the elimination of violence against women migrant workers, human trafficking, women’s leadership and gender equality.

Online and offline public campaigns have raised the awareness of 69,034 women migrant workers about women’s labour migration, the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work, gender equality, reintegration support, and trade unions.

Safe and fair migration through Migrant Workers Resource Centre

The Indonesian One Stop Services (LTSA-MRC) model recognised as a good practice in the UN Global International Migration Review Forum in 2022

Tens of thousands of women migrant workers are empowered by Gender Responsiveness-One Roof Integrated Services Centres

Tripartite Forum on Migration empowers women migrant workers as agents of change to safeguard their labour rights

C190 - Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190)

As a migrant domestic worker, Win Faidah was abused by her employers. Now she works to raise awareness so that other Indonesian women have the knowledge to protect themselves from exploitation and violence in the workplace.

I empower migrant domestic workers by sharing my experiences

I am the son of cocoa farmers and I have always worked on a plantation in Côte d'Ivoire. Like many planters, I wanted to help fight child labour in our community. Through training, I discovered how improving safety and health at work is important to this combat.

My name is Yabao Oumarou and I am 46 years old. I am married and have six children.  I am part of a farming cooperative in Bagoliéoua, in the Nawa region of Côte d'Ivoire. I grew up here and I am the son of a planter. Here, we're all planters.

One day, the cooperative told me that I had been chosen to go to Soubré for WIND training with the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Until then, I had worked like all cocoa farmers, doing the same jobs that our parents did before us. We worked without being concerned about our health and safety. That was how things were before.

Better working conditions are helping us to fight child labour

My motivation to do the training was to help combat child labour. There have been several awareness campaigns about child labour in our cooperative, so it is an important topic for all the planters. 

But the training was a real discovery for me. We didn't just learn about child protection. We also learnt about health and safety and providing access to facilities for well-being.

We saw that there were things we shouldn't be doing at work and things that we needed to improve.

Above all, the training changed my perception of child labour.  

I came to understand that if you don't take care of your health, then you won't be able to work. And if you aren't able do your job properly, then you'll become a burden, either to your wife or to your children.

Our working methods used to cost us a lot. But by raising awareness, the community has come to see that safety and health is important. (2024).

After the training was over, it was time to put into practice what we had learned. 

When I arrived in the village, I first covered my well, which was open. I also made a fence for it as well because animals often fell into it. I made the fence with local products, and I didn't pay anything. We made do with what we had. We didn't know that we could do that.

I also installed a pulley for the well. We used to collect water directly with a container. Now, it's easy to draw water, without getting tired or taking risks.

We didn't used to worry about our health. We just worked and got sick. Now, there is a real change.

Before the WIND training, I used to work at the plantation until I was so tired that I would have to come back to the village because of the fatigue.

Now, I have created a rest area in the field with seats with backrests. When I'm working and I feel tired, I go into the shade at the rest area. After, I can start to work again, and I return home without being exhausted.

We didn't used to worry about our health. We just worked and got sick. Now, there is a real change. There is less fatigue, and we don't get sick like we used to.

The day before yesterday, a rainstorm started as we reached the field. Before we had the shelter, we would have needed to return to the village and lost a day's work. Instead, this time, we stayed under the shelter until the rain stopped and then we worked.

I created a rest area in the field with seats with backrests. When I'm working, there comes a time when I'm tired, so now I can rest in the shade. (2024).

The training has awakened my health and safety conscience.

I saw that you must think about your health and your family's health before you take on a job. Now I think to myself: "I want to do this. But what will that bring me? Will that make me sick? ". Previously, we didn't worry about that.

If you can do your job properly, with less fatigue, then you won't have a child labour problem, because you won't need to bring the children into the job.

Now, we care about our own health and safety, and this makes it easy to send children to school. We can give our children the opportunity to thrive.

Since the training, I can see that there have been changes. It's with courage and determination that I've been able to make these improvements and it's going so well. (2024).

Yabao Oumarou, a cocoa farmer in Côte d'Ivoire, was accustomed to fatigue and illness from his tough working conditions. Through training, he discovered there is a link between improved safety and health at work, and reducing child labour.

First-person perspectives on the world of work

From prison to a better life

I was put in prison for stealing vanilla. Now I’m working, I make cinder blocks and I have no reason to go back to jail.

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