One example of a creative solution to child labor being practiced in South America is a program called Tierra del Vido. A branch of the Swiss charity Sentinelles, it is a program which offers children alternative employment to the usual work in coal mines. A third component in the fight against child labor is education. A basic education is what will enable children to obtain jobs other than those in coal mines or textile sweatshops. Educated children grow up to be educated adults, more able to provide for their families and therefore less likely to subject their children to the torture of child labor.
Education is the key to breaking the cycle of child labor.
Fourth, trade laws which employ strict measures against child labor are needed. Forbidding companies which use child labor to participate in free-trade agreements is one economic strategy which could be used to combat child labor. Senator Harkin is the sponsor of the Harkin Bill, which has failed several times to pass through Congress. The Bill makes stringent provisions against child labor. With a combination of economic incentives and trade sanctions, education, consumer knowledge, and creative reemployment strategies, child labor can and will be stopped.