On 18th November, the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance totalling 2,589,763.00 US dollars (approximately 292.6 million yen) through the Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled "Inter-agency Programme for Improving the Situation of Children at Risk in Senegal" to be implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the Republic of Senegal.
The rapid growth of population with regional disparities, widespread poverty and insufficient provision of basic social services resulted in the pervasive child labour in Senegal. According to a survey in 2005, 36.7% of children aged 5 - 17 are forced by circumstances to work, and some get involved in begging, prostitution and illicit activities. In addition, low rate of birth registration hinders the access of un-registered children to basic social services such as health care and education. This project aims to improve the disadvantages of those children in Thies region through the following activities:
Strengthening communities, local government, religious leaders and NGOs through awareness raising campaigns and trainings on child labour and birth registration Liberating children from labour and providing them with informal/formal education, life skills training, vocational training and health care services Supporting families of targeted children through implementing income generating activities Promoting birth registration through supporting local NGOs, Community-based Organizations (CBOs) and communities Establishing community-based Child Labour Monitoring system This project is expected to promote both protection from child labour and empowerment of children in Thies region.