Equal Access to Quality Jobs for Women and Girls in Agriculture (EQUAL) in Colombia

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Region/Country:
Americas Colombia
Project Duration:
December 2019
-
November 2023
Funding and Year:
FY
2019
: USD
5,000,000

EQUAL/Colombia aims to reduce the risk of child labor, forced labor, and other violations of labor rights by empowering vulnerable women and girls working in the production of unrefined brown sugar (panela) and the cut flowers sector and promoting a better understanding of labor rights.

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The Problem

In Colombia, women and girls ages 15-17 working in agriculture often lack knowledge of their labor rights and are vulnerable to unacceptable conditions of work. In the unrefined brown sugar (panela) sector, which generates the most employment in Colombian agriculture after coffee, girls are vulnerable to child labor, including work in hazardous conditions, and women and girls may work unpaid on family farms. In the cut flowers sector, women comprise 65 percent of the labor force and often work long hours and are exposed to occupational safety and health risks. In both sectors, women and girls are vulnerable to gender discrimination, gender-based violence, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

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Our Strategy

EQUAL/Colombia will empower women, girls, and their families and communities by providing them with a better understanding of labor rights and improved access to labor and social protections. The project will partner with the Colombian government, the National Business Association (ANDI), and civil society organizations to reduce the vulnerability of women and girls to labor violations in the cut flower and panela sectors. It will also increase job training and economic opportunities for more than 2,000 women and girls.

EQUAL/Colombia will place women, girls, communities, and other project participants at the core of project activities by ensuring that their needs and expectations informed the design and implementation of project activities and therefore increase local ownership and impact of the project.
 
EQUAL/Colombia will implement activities in the Departments of Antioquia and Cundinamarca. 

Grantee: PACT
Implementing Partners: Escuela Nacional Sindical (ENS)
Contact Information:
(202) 693-4843
/
Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
Tags: Child Labor Flowers Sugar Cane Supply Chains Women’s Empowerment