In Cajamarca, Peru, child domestic workers often labor for more than 14 hours a day, seven days a week, in exchange for meager wages or a little food and a place to sleep. They are very often victims of physical or psychological abuse, and have no access to school or time to play. Winrock's experience in Latin America shows that it is very common for parents to be unaware of the dangers to which their children are exposed, or not to know that education is obligatory. Raising awareness about child labor is a critical need. Through its CIRCLE project, Winrock works with partners like Asociación Mujer Familia (AMF) in Peru to raise awareness among authorities, parents, and employers about the relevance of education and the hazards of child labor.

Radio Cajamarca is providing AMF with valuable airtime free-of-cost. Together they are broadcasting a radio program twice a week (on both FM and AM frequencies), bringing discussions about child domestic work to over 1.4 million potential listeners. A key innovation of the program is to let children speak for themselves.

AMF believes that when the children speak about their own experiences and perspectives they are able to have a greater impact on the adults who run the schools, make the laws, and affect their daily lives and development in countless ways. Project beneficiaries are interviewed live on air during each radio show. The children call attention to the hazards and risks of child domestic workers and discuss the relevance of education as a healthy and essential alternative, and the only real way out of poverty.

Themes that have been broadcast, for example, include the importance of going to school, the needs of many children to work, and the ILO Conventions 138 and 182 (on minimum age for employment and elimination of worst forms of child labor). Another significant theme was the ‘Day of the Peruvian Child,' celebrated on the 11th of April. Three children talked about children's rights and the importance of having the local authorities enforce the law. The children also discussed their right to free education.

Since these programs started to air, people in Cajamarca have shown themselves to be more concerned with the issue of child domestic labor. The radio station receives lots of reactions (mostly positive) from listeners. Some feedback is also negative, with callers arguing that poor families have the right to send their children to work in order to supplement their family's income. These critics inspire AMF to work even harder to disseminate information about domestic child labor and to advocate for children's rights. Every comment, positive or negative, means that people are aware of the issue and are talking about it: it is only through awareness and action that we can affect change.

Funding provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreements E-9-K-2-0048 and E-9-K-4-0005.
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