IPC-IG Research Coordinator presents the results of an evaluation of a Brazilian social protection programme targeting fishers and discusses its impacts on child labour

By IPC-IG
Photo by Susmita Saha on Unsplash

Fábio Veras Soares, Senior Research Coordinator at the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), participated in a side event on child labour in small-scale and artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, held at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour. He discussed the role of social protection programmes targeting fishers in addressing the drivers of child labour in artisanal fisheries. Veras relied on the results of an impact evaluation of the Seguro Defeso, a social protection programme targeting fishers in Brazil, disbursed during the closed fishing season. The study was the outcome of a project developed by the IPC-IG in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).  

Veras explained how it was possible to consider socioeconomic indicators for the whole family and not only for the individual fishers who benefited from Seguro Defeso, by linking the database featuring information regarding unemployment insurance for fishers with the country’s Single Registry. This approach allowed to assess the impact of the benefit on potential negative coping strategies during the closed fishing season, such as child labour and school drop-out. 

“The results of the evaluation show that the greater the household exposure to the Seguro Defeso programme, the higher the percentage of children (6-17 years) enrolled in school, the higher the percentage of households without children working outside the household, and the lower the percentage of youth (18-24 years) who are simultaneously out of school and out of work”, highlighted Veras. 

In the context of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA), the side event, held at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, discussed integrated, cross-sector strategies that can be implemented to address child labour; explored the intersections between fisheries management, environmental stewardship and livelihoods in fishing communities; and evaluated the impacts on child labour in artisanal fishing. It also highlighted strategies to prevent child labour in artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and protect young workers in the sector.  

In addition to Veras, other speakers featured in the session included Marlene Ramirez, Executive Director of the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA); Alhousséyni Sarro, Deputy National Director of Fisheries of the Mali Ministry of Fisheries; Sebastian Mathew, Executive Director of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF); and Hidayat Greenfield, Regional Secretary of the Food, Farm, Hotels and more Global Union (IUF). The side event was moderated by Daniela Kalikoski, a Fisheries Scientist of FAO’s Equitable Livelihoods Team.  

 

About the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour 

During the week of 16 to 20 May 2022, South Africa hosted the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, together with the International Labour Organization (ILO). 

This global event took place in Durban and helped build a path towards a world free from child labour. It was attended by heads of State and ministers, as well as representatives from tripartite constituents of ILO member countries, United Nations agencies, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations, the media, and civil society. 

 

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