 | EDUCATION
"If we don't study, we won't get good jobs"
Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children have a right to education and to be protected from economic exploitation.
Article 28 of the document stipulates that governments shall, "take measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates."
The city of Franca, in the interior of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, has a history of children working in the footwear industry and, therefore, not attending school.
In 1994, the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE) published a report which stated that around two million children - or 14.3% of children between 10 and 13 - were working in Brazil.
Many are involved in the manufacture of shoes; one of Brazil's main export industries. Children work long shifts cutting, gluing, stitching and hammering materials.
The IBGE report also revealed the health risks associated with the work. "The children are exposed to various health hazards such as the toxic and addictive fumes of the shoe glue. These hazards may cause dermatitis, asthma, bronchitis, and, injuries from work tools."
As many children exploited through work stop attending school, initiatives are now being implemented to help reduce child labour and increase the number of children receiving an education.
One such venture is the Education Scholarship Programme, set up by UNICEF and now carried on by local government.
It recognises that poverty is the greatest single factor that forces children into work and provides financial help to poor families. Even though the amount of aid may be considered small by Western standards, under this scheme, a total of 180 families now receive assistance and around 500 children go to school. Jessica is one of them. |
My name is Jessica. I have five brothers and sisters. I'm 10-years-old. I go to school in Franca. I have a scholarship from the Education Scholarship Programme.
I wake up in the morning and go to school. Later I have lunch and do my homework.
The subject I like most is maths. I like doing sums and difficult problems. If we don't study, we won't get good jobs. 
Her mother, Rosângela, receives 100 Brazilian Reals (US$39) per month from the Education Scholarship Fund. The aid, she says, makes a big difference:
In the past, I often didn't have enough money to pay for school materials and even for food. It makes a huge difference in our lives, in our family's life. Sometimes I used to have to get my children to help me with the sewing and stitching of shoes, after school. But now, my kids are not only doing well at school, but they're also having Italian and music lessons...
To find out how the city of Franca is tackling the problem of eradicating child labour, Jessica speaks to Silas Barbosa Cuba, headmaster of the school in Franca. Barbosa Cuba explains:
For the school it was very important to take part in this [educational] project, because when the families received this money, the school was also given funds to buy equipment and teaching material and so on. From this aspect it was extremely important. But it was also important because we had a lot of families that were poor, and many times, children had to stay at home and help with the work.
In this case, for a lot of the kids, this meant sewing and stitching shoes. With the Education Scholarship project, each family started to receive 100 Reals a month, which has helped a great deal. I have no doubt that, for many families, this is the only money they get.
I do think [100 Reals] is very little. And I also think that very few families are helped under this scheme. At this school, 120 families are taking part in the project. In a survey, that we carried out here, we looked at the poverty among people who live in this neighbourhood - which is one of the poorest boroughs in the town. We reckoned that we should be helping about 300 or 400 families.
Jessica also talks to Lucinéia Silva Sartori Coelho, the coordinator for Social Services in the city of Franca. Silva Sartori Coelho, who reports to the Secretary of Social and Economic Development, explains the objectives of the programme currently being implemented in Franca.
It's a complete programme. We work with children and teenagers by means of extra-curricular activities.
As a result of this, the child has an obligation to attend school. We monitor the child's attendance level and also how he or she is doing in class.
There is also the training of staff, teachers and educators, so that these people are able to work with children and teenagers who, basically, are forced to work. In our town, we've been trying to give priority to actions that improve the lives of our children and of our teenagers. |
