PADF, Government of Mexico and partners Launch Anti-Child Labor Campaign

Campaign seeks to raise awareness among Mexican society and
university students and empower them to become agents of change in their
communities

MEXICO CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Government of Mexico and partners, including actress and singer
Maite Perroni, launched a national campaign “Everyone Against Child
Labour” in the Papalote Children’s Museum. The campaign seeks to
sensitize young people about the issue of child labor. Key partners in
the initiative include the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF),
Mexico’s Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), the Telefónica
Foundation Mexico, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Mexico and the Mexican Youth
Institute (IMJUVE).

This initiative will support the actions taken by the government to
reduce child labor in Mexico. It also aims to empower young people to
become agents of change, promote greater access to education among
children and adolescents and raise public awareness in order to help
eradicate child labor.

“Childhood is a critical stage in the life of each person, and one of
the cornerstones of our society,” said Maite Perroni, campaign
spokesperson and goodwill ambassador for the Pan American Development
Foundation. “As Mexicans, we must work together to create an environment
where children feel safe, where they have opportunities to attend school
and learn, and where we can help them become productive individuals in
their communities.”

This Campaign will support the Government of Mexico’s efforts to
eradicate child labor. Today, more than 2.5 million children and
adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 are affected by child labor,
according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography
(INEGI).

“The Government of Mexico is committed to eradicating child labor,” said
Ruby Ignacio Salazar, Secretary of Social Welfare of the Secretariat of
Labor and Social Welfare. “Through this initiative we want to continue
raising awareness and change people’s perceptions about child labor.
This requires the support of parents, communities, employers and
society. We call on young men and women to join this national effort and
spread the message that children should go to school, not to work.”

In order to engage youth, the campaign held meetings in the states of
Campeche, Tabasco and Puebla to inform university students and IMJUVE
youth networks about the problem and invite them to become agents of
change in their communities. The meetings will be held at the following
locations: Autonomous University of Campeche (October 25), Olmeca
University in Tabasco (October 27) and the Iberoamerican University of
Puebla (October 28).

“At Fundación Telefónica we believe that a quality education is an
effective, sustainable strategy to reduce the rate of child labor in
Latin America,” said Nidia Chavéz Montiel, Deputy Director of the
Telefónica Foundation Mexico. “Over 13 years of managing the Proniño
program in 14 countries in the region, we have benefited 488,084 girls,
boys and adolescents through education to help eradicate child labor.”

“A child laborer is a child who does not have time to study,” said
Thomas Wissing, director for the International Labour Organization
office in Mexico and Cuba. “A girl who works has no time to enjoy, to
realize her dreams. Working children are forced to assume adult
responsibilities for which are not ready.”

“Taiwan is always concerned about supporting new generations, because
each child will be a new member of Mexican society with a hand in the
future of this beautiful nation,” said Carlos S.C. Liao, Director
General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Mexico. “We are
firm believers in promoting education as a basis for lasting sustainable
development, in order to eradicate exclusion, poverty and child labor.”

The campaign is also inviting young people to participate in a photo
contest through social networks to show how they imagine their community
without child labor. Participants can share photos and messages using
the hashtag #MXsinTI. For more details visit www.tuvozcontraeltrabajoinfantil.org/concurso.

For more information on child labor and how you can get involved in the
campaign, visit www.tuvozcontraeltrabajoinfantil.org.

The initiative “All Against Child Labour” is based on the success of the
previous campaign “Your Voice Against Child Labour.” In 2014, the
government of Mexico, along with private sector partners and civil
society organizations launched a campaign in five Mexican states. The
campaign reached millions of people around the country and won the
“Global Awareness” award at the World Media Festival in Germany.

The launch was attended by 70 children with hearing disabilities from
the Clotet Center. The children enjoyed the activities and exhibitions
of the Papalote Museums courtesy of the museum’s Social Responsibility
Program, which provides children in vulnerable situations with
educational experiences.

Contacts

Pan American Development Foundation (PADF)
Hearly G. Mayr
Director
of Communications and Public Affairs
202-280-3846
@hearlymayr
www.padf.org