An IOM programme that aimed to prevent and eradicate migrant child
labour in two slums in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, has
been given new life.

Hundreds of children from Bolivian, Paraguayan and Peruvian
migrant families living in poor and overcrowded slums of Buenos
Aires walk the streets of the capital at night in search of
recyclable materials that can be resold. In most of the cases, the
children do not go to school as their families depend on their
labour to get by.

The programme, which ended last summer, focused on raising
awareness among migrant families on the rights of the child so that
children did not work, went to school and got health care. This was
accompanied by the provision of micro-credits to the families
enabling them to set up small businesses and augment their income
so that their children could stop working and attend school.
Support was also given to the migrant families to regularize their
status in the country.

More than 60 families living in Villas 31 and 31 bis in Buenos
Aires and who had largely lived off garbage collection and
processing, were helped to access micro-credit to start up their
own small businesses.

Two of the outcomes of the programme funded by the Andean
Development Bank (CAF), the Inter-American Development Bank and
IOM, were the creation of a migrant community organization, Koe
Suyana and the setting up of a revolving microfinance fund that
could give reimbursable loans to migrants.

An agreement between IOM and GESOL, a national network of
community organizations involved in microcredit promotion will mean
the programme's objectives will continue to be met for the
foreseeable future. The agreement allows for the transfer of funds
from the revolving fund to GESOL to administer for one year while
microfinance training is provided to Koe Suyana. Training will
include the use of various financial tools for granting loans so
that vulnerable migrants in the community can continue to be
assisted.

For further information, please contact:

Mariana Bocca

IOM Buenos Aires

Tel: +54 1 14 815 51 94

E-mail: "mailto:mbocca@iom.int">mbocca@iom.int