Ikea, Save the Children Commit to Stopping Child Labor in India

June 17, 2014  by in Community / Charitable Support, Furniture Retailing, Industry   

It is estimated that there are currently about 12.6 million child laborers in India. The latest move is the second in a  long-term program to keep children out of cotton fields, and in classrooms where they can learn, play, grow and develop as children.

In this second phase, Save the Children, Pratham and Breakthrough will work with local leaders, farmers, teachers, families and Indian state officials to provide quality education, improve teacher training, develop local child protection committees and school management committees to tackle issues like gender-based discrimination. 

Phase one of the program started in 2009 in more than 1,800 villages. Since then more than 150,000 children have moved out of child labor and into classrooms, and more than 10,000 migrant children moved back to their home communities. In addition, nearly 2,000 teachers were trained and 1,866 health education workers were trained in teaching practices, giving each village in the program a skilled community worker.

Phase two of the program will work to tackle gender-based discrimination in the area and work to educate girls.

“We know there is no quick-fix solution to ending child labor, but long–term approaches can yield impressive results," Per Heggenes, CEO of IKEA Foundation explains. “The IKEA Foundation, with our partners, has been tackling this issue in India for nearly a decade. This new phase reinforces our long-term commitment and our desire to help millions more children out of child labor and back into the classrooms.”