The ILO, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Cooperatives at the Ministry of Agriculture of Lebanon, concluded a two-day training on the role of cooperatives in eliminating child labour, held from 20-21 November 2025. The training brought together cooperative leaders, representatives of unions, business associations and government actors to build their capacity to identify, prevent and respond to child labour within their operations and communities and.
Global ILO and UNICEF estimates from 2024 indicate that 138 million children are engaged in child labour worldwide, with 61 per cent working in agriculture, a sector classified among the three most hazardous in terms of work-related injuries and health risks.
Lebanon is no exception. Child labour represents a pressing concern in the country's agricultural sector.
Here, the socio-economic crisis coupled with the protracted displacement of Syrian refugees has heightened the vulnerability of children, pushing many into agricultural labour and exposing them to dangerous and exploitative conditions.
Against this backdrop, agricultural cooperatives are well positioned to influence positive change. By supporting their members, strengthening community resilience, and promoting sustainable production practices, cooperatives can play a decisive role in addressing both the root causes and manifestations of child labour.
A core objective of the training was to equip cooperative representatives with the tools and knowledge needed to return to their organizations and replicate the learnings, integrate safer governance practices, and embed child-labour-free mechanisms within their cooperative structures.
Over the two days, participants explored international and national legal frameworks related to child labour, including ILO Conventions 138 on Minimum Age and 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour. Through interactive exercises, group work, and case simulations, cooperative representatives learned how to identify child labour practices, understand referral pathways, and design concrete actions to prevent and eliminate child labour in their operations and surrounding communities.
© ILO
"Participants from all over Lebanon showed interest in learning more about child labour in agriculture and practical means to address it," said Afaf Khalil, ILO Child Labour Technical Officer and co-facilitator of the training. "Many of them understand the risks associated with child labour, and some have experienced the long-term impact of the worst forms of child labour in the agricultural sector on children's well-being and development."
Douaa Boudany, Head of the General Directorate of Cooperatives in Baalbek and co-facilitator of the training said: "This training marked a concrete step towards empowering cooperatives to take collective action against child labour. By deepening their understanding of child rights and strengthening cooperative governance, participants are now better equipped to promote safer and fairer working conditions within their communities"
Badra Alawa, ILO Regional Enterprise Specialist, said: "As trusted actors within rural communities, cooperatives support families and strengthen resilience in rural areas. By applying cooperative values and integrating the capacity to prevent and respond to child labour within their systems, they help ensure that economic development is inclusive and rooted in decent work objectives".
The training also introduced strategies for child labour prevention, safe withdrawal, and reintegration, and emphasized the importance of linking cooperatives with child protection services. A dedicated session highlighted how cooperative governance structures can support collective responsibility in combating child labour.
The workshop ended with participating cooperatives developing practical action plans outlining steps to eliminate child labour and strengthen community-based monitoring. Representatives from the participating cooperatives and other institutional stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing coordinated efforts to protect children and promote decent work across rural areas.
This activity was implemented under the Building Inclusive Markets and Decent Work for Syrian Refugees and Lebanese Host Communities (BOUZOUR) Project, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). This activity builds on previous BOUZOUR initiatives supporting exporters, farmers, and cooperatives to strengthen their responsible business conduct and human rights due diligence practices to enhance opportunities for improved market access in Lebanon's agricultural sector. It also builds on child labour prevention activities conducted under the PROSPECTS Programme, which is a global partnership funded by the Government of the Netherlands with the aim to improve the access of host communities and forcibly displaced people to education, social protection and decent work.
