Towards the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (TECL), Phase II with a focus on HIV/AIDS: Supporting and monitoring the implementation of National Plans of Action in three core countries in Southern Africa. Executive summary The present project document proposes a strategy and activities to assist Botswana, Namibia and South Africa in the elimination of the worst forms of child labour and other serious forms of child labour, by supporting the implementation of national plans of action in these countries. The proposed project builds on the achievements of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) / IPEC USDOL funded programme Towards the Elimination of the worst forms of Child Labour (TECL). This project is referred as TECL I, while the new project is called TECL II. TECL I supported the implementation of the Child Labour Programme of Action (CLPA) in South Africa and laid the basis for concerted action against child labour in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland, by putting into place National Action Plans (NAPs) on the elimination of child labour in the latter four countries. Botswana and Namibia have been chosen as the main target countries for TECL II in view of the fact that, at the time that the decision on which countries were appropriate for TECL II implementation (namely April 2008), (a) they had drafted and endorsed NAPs, (b) had concluded memoranda of understanding with the ILO on steps to eliminate child labour; and (c) the good chances of success for the TECL II interventions. Both countries have a relatively well-developed system of social services, even if these services do not reach all vulnerable children and their families, and are close to achieving the MDG objective on education. South Africa has been included in TECL II to ensure that government-driven action under the national child labour action – developed under TECL I – is effective and sustainable. The project aims to ensure that the South Africa experience becomes a source of learning and good practice in the subregion and beyond. The three countries are all qualified as “medium development”, with human development indices (HDIs) ranging from 0.650 in Namibia to 0.674 in South Africa. The adult unemployment rates are extremely high by international standards. The household poverty resulting from high unemployment often forces many children into working to bring some income into the household, including through the worst forms of child labour. The high HIV prevalence rate further enhances vulnerability of children to falling victim to child labour. Both Botswana and Namibia have carried out national surveys which yield important indicators of child labour, although the data have not been sufficiently analyzed. In Botswana, approximately 82,400 children aged 7 to 17 years (19.3% of all children within that age group) are found to be child labourers. In Namibia, 72,405 children aged 6 to 18 were found to be working. The great majority of child labour is found in agriculture, both subsistence and to a lesser extent commercial. The NAPs developed under TECL I in both countries and adopted early 2008 further identify a number of other areas where child labour is a concern, including commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and the use of children in illicit activities. These NAPS – elaborated and overseen by tripartite-plus programme advisory committees – will be the framework for action in the coming years. In South Africa, the 2006 Labour Force Survey indicates that about 847,000 children between the ages of 10-17 years were involved in child labour. There is also clear evidence of child trafficking, CSEC, and the use of children in illicit activities in South Africa, as shown in the studies done under TECL I. The CLPA – first adopted in 2003 – is South Africa’s NAP and roadmap to the prevention, reduction and eventual elimination of child labour which affects an estimated one million children in the country. It sets out specific actions to be taken and assigns responsibility for these actions. TECL I focused on mainstreaming the CLPA and the most urgent action steps into the work plans and priorities of key government departments. Today