Author: Aimy Ogaeri

Job Opening: Global Coordinator (100%)

We are hiring a Global Coordinator for the Dialogue Works campaign. This full-time position, from January to June 2025 (with a possibility of extension), will support the transition to the next phase of the project, focused on realizing the right to be heard and participation of children in vulnerable situations by engaging them in permanent local participatory structures in Zambia, Peru and India; these will in a second step be scaled up to national, regional and global levels. Key responsibilities include finalizing the current project, coordinating with partner organizations, and preparing for the new “Global Network on Child Participation” (2025-2029). Applicants should have experience in network building, children’s rights, and participatory approaches. Apply by September 30, 2024. Interviews will be held in October. For more details, please refer to the full job description.

Improve the future of children’s participation in global events

We are excited to launch a survey aimed at gathering insights from children about their involvement in global events. Whether you’ve attended a World Conference, Summit, or Ministerial Conference, or simply want to share your thoughts, we would like to hear from you! Global events bring together decision-makers from around the world to discuss crucial issues like education, climate change, and health. It is important that children are part of these discussions. This survey seeks to understand your experiences and ideas on how to make these events more child-friendly, inclusive, and impactful. Your feedback will help create guidelines for meaningful children’s participation in global events. These guidelines will be finalized in a virtual meeting in January 2025, with input from both adults and children. If you’re between 8 and 24 years old and have participated in or have an interest in global events, we invite you to take part in this survey. Your voice can improve the future of children’s participation in global events! Please click here for the English, Spanish and French survey. In …

Asian Regional Children’s Advisory Committee Meeting kicks off in Kathmandu

From July 8th to July 11th, 2024, the Asian Regional Children’s Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The purpose of the meeting was for working children across the Asian region to share their experiences and collaborate on a Regional Advocacy Plan. The meeting has seen a diverse group of CAC members from the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal coming together to connect, play and learn from each other. One of the highlights of the event was a traditional Nepali dance performance that welcomed the attendees. Participants also engaged in a role play focused on child protection, an interactive way to address crucial issues. The picture above showcases an engaging aspect of the meeting, a game designed to teach participants about child protection laws in a fun and dynamic manner. Additionally, the group enjoyed singing Indian songs together, which helped to strengthen bonds among the members. The meeting’s agenda also included several creative activities: – Participants created a comic to showcase the experiences of working children. – They shared and learned about each …

Recommendations from children working in WFCL

We are excited to announce the publication of the “Child-Friendly Recommendations from the Exchange between Working Children and UN Child Rights Experts.” This report is a result of workshops held in Nepal and Bangladesh from December 2023 to January 2024, involving 46 children working in Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL). Supported by Dialogue Works and CLARISSA, these workshops provided a platform for children engaged in some of the WFCL to share their experiences and develop recommendations. The full report is available on our website and highlights the voices and perspectives of working children, aiming to foster a safer, more supportive environment for children worldwide. Key highlights from the report include: The full report is available here and highlights the voices and perspectives of children working in WFCL, aiming to promote a safer, more supportive environment for children worldwide.

Harare children’s Call to Action

We are thrilled to introduce the Harare children’s Call to Action, a powerful initiative launched by the African Regional Child Advisory Committee, a group of eighteen children from Africa and the Middle East. They came together in Harare, Zimbabwe, to discuss the issues affecting working children in their region. Through constructive discussions, they identified poverty and climate change as the top priorities needing urgent attention from their regional body, the African Union. The Call to Action is not just words on paper; it’s a commitment to making real change. The African Regional Child Advisory Committee urges leaders to listen, respond, and act urgently.

Children’s rights experts exchanges directly with CAC members

Recently, Dialogue Works’ Child Advisory Committee (CAC) members from Bangladesh and Nepal attended a virtual meeting with children’s rights experts to talk about their experienes as working children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL). Examples of those forms of child labour are the leather sector and the Adult Entertainment Sector (AES). The meeting between working children and children’s rights experts builds on conclusions from prior discussions, which recognised the need to consider how children’s experiences of the WFCL impact relevant policy. The meeting was a unique opportunity to hear children working in WFCL as experts by experience to gain a deeper understanding of working children’s experiences and assist in strengthening the childen’s rights experts responses and recommendations on child labour. Watch the video below to hear what our CAC members have shared in the meeting.