They will take part in the IV World Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour
Producers of the ABC – Argentinean Blueberry Commitee will take part in the IV World Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour, to take place in Buenos Aires, from November 14 through November 16, 2017. “We continue strengthening our efforts in order to prevent child labour in our sector, and the invitation to take part in this event certainly ratifies our intention”, stated Federico Bayá, President of the Commitee.
Since February this year, the ABC has been taking part as an active member of the Network of Enterprises Against Child Labour- Red de Empresas contra el Trabajo Infantil. The Network promotes and supports programs for the prevention and eradication of child labour, performing within the scope of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security. The Network is as well presided by the National Comission for the Eradication of Child Labour – CONAETI.
In that sense, all members of ABC worked actively during the seminar to increase public awareness, organized by the Network in July, where the modalities and current regulatory frame were studied.
The Argentinean Blueberry Commitee is jointly working with regional institutions: Association of Blueberries´ Producers of Tucuman APRATUC (NWA), Producers’Association of Mesopotamia – APAMA (NEA) and the Argentine Chamber of Blueberries and other Berries´ Producers – CAPAB (Buenos Aires).
“These actions are a complement of the joint workplan we carry out with the COPRETIS (Provincial Commissions for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labour) and the National Government, which we consider provides an added value to our activity, while it places us as a country interested in social themes within the region”, stated Bayá.
Both ABC and the Regional institutions worked jointly throughout the year, in order to constitute a labour working group to discuss this matter. “As a result of the activities carried out, we launched an advertising campaign of public awareness on child labour, and other actions such as the promotion of Child Care Centers in the Nortwest of Argentina, for the children of the Citrus and Blueberry workers”, pointed Bayá.
Within the scope of the commitments assumed by the labour working group, the law for the Provincial Registry of Workers and Employees of the Agricultural Activities Contractors was approved in Tucumán.
ABC also highlights the joint labour carried out with the Board of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), institution in charge of controlling and combatting forced labor and child labour in foreign countries, since they have cooperation bonds, as they have with the Embassy of the United States.
“Our responsibility and principal challenge is to continue working in order to prevent child labour in all stages of the value chain”, concluded Bayá.