The government of Peru has launched a new effort to reduce child labour in the country
The four-year project, Combating Exploitative Rural Child Labour in Peru, is backed by $13m (£8.3m) of funding from the US government, which will be used to help improve access to education for 6,500 children in some of Peru’s poorest regions.
Support will also be given to parents to reduce the need for their children to work. For example, farmers will be given wage supplements as well as help to increase their crop yields.
Currently, almost a third of Peru’s children work for a living according to figures from the International Labour Organization. The government claims that this is putting the education of a generation at risk.
Project director Maro Guerrero said that Peru was not opposed to children working altogether, but that their work should not interfere with their education.
