Through this workshop, the ILO project Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Africa's Supply Chains, ACCEL Africa, aimed to strengthen the capacities of the members of the AEJT association, also helping them to develop synergies with regional actors in the fight against child labour in the gold panning and cotton production areas in the regions of Kayes and Sikasso.

The ultimate goal of this workshop is to reduce the exploitation of child labour and improve the well-being of children working in the gold and cotton mining areas in the Kayes and Sikasso regions of Mali,'' explained Hamidou Cisse, National Coordinator of the Accel Africa Project in Mali.

Presentations, discussions and debates in the plenary session shed light on the concept of child labour and the existence of national and international texts and their roles, as well as individual tasks and responsibilities in the fight against child labour and the worst forms of child labour.

"This workshop will help to develop and establish synergies between actors, but also facilitate the adoption of the identification and planning tool in favor of working children and young people,'' according to Kadiatou KONE, the Communication Officer of the AEJT national office.

The fight against the worst forms of child labor and the reduction of poverty must never be relegated to the background despite the turmoil that Mali and some Sahelian countries are experiencing," affirmed Mamadou FOFANA, Vice-President of the Regional Council of Kayes.
In Mali, gold mining plays a very important role in the economy and is one of the country's main resources.

The Association of Working Children and Youth (AEJT) of Mali has been working for many years in close collaboration with the Ministry for the Promotion of the Family, Women and Children and the Ministry of Labour and the Civil Service through their regional representations, but also with certain technical and financial partners such as the ILO, with the objective of considerably reducing child labour and the worst forms of child labour, mainly in the artisanal gold panning sector.

The ILO's ACCEL AFRICA project supports governments and social partners in the fight against child labour in six African countries including Mali.

In Mali the project focuses on traditional gold panning and cotton. ACCEL Africa's key references are ILO Conventions 182 and 138 on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour and on the minimum age for admission to employment, respectively, and target 8.7 of the MDGs.
Target 8.7 calls on countries to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and ensure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment, and by 2025 to end all forms of child labour.

This workshop for the AEJT is an opportunity to advocate with local authorities, especially the district councils and even the Regional Councils of Kayes and Sikasso, for a better consideration of child labor in local development programs.

The year 2021 has been declared the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. Governments, international organisations, civil society organisations and individuals are undertaking numerous initiatives and concrete actions to eradicate child labour this year.