violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

260Violence against children in places of workUniversal attendance at school is difficult toenforce where the quality of education is poor,families and children perceive in it nothing ofadvantage, or teachers are verbally or physicallyabusive. Unless schooling is child-friendly,and adds value in terms of useful learning andqualifications, it can be difficult to attract andretain children from working situations.Schooling itself provides an opportunity forthe promotion of self-protection, non-violenceand peaceful conflict resolution, as do nonformaleducation programmes (see chapter onviolence against children in schools and educationalsettings). Life skills-based educationin both settings, should be made accessible toworking boys and girls whether or not theyare able to quit work, to learn about genderequality, avoidance of coercive or oppressivesituations, sexual behaviour, and the need toadopt non-violence within relationships. Thereduction of gender-based violence, unsafesexual practices, street violence and misogynyrequires challenging dominant forms and perceptionsof masculinity, by reaching out toboys and men. 149Child Workers’ Opportunities Project (CWOP), MaharashtraThis four-year programme in India supported by Save the Children Canada targeted10,000 working children, including 4,000 in two project sites in Maharashtra. Thesechildren were identified during baseline surveys in the 94 intervention communitiescovered by the two local operational NGO partners; the intention was to bring an endto child labour in the communities in question.The strategy centred on shifting children out of work and into school or training, bysimultaneously addressing the reasons why they worked, and by offering them otheropportunities. Working children under 14 were to be enrolled in the formal primarysystem, and those aged 14–18 in vocational training. Community-based non-formaleducation classes, to which all children identified in the survey were invited, were thestarting-point. At the same time, initiatives were made to foster income-generation forwomen in households with working children, and build awareness in the communityto render the concept of child work socially unacceptable. Village education committeeswere established, and communities encouraged to improve school buildings, andto demand high quality teaching and child-friendly behaviour from teachers.Child participation was a fundamental principle in all project activities. Child groupswere set up, in which working and ex-working children participated. Members took on