Reducing Incidence of Child Labor and Harmful Conditions of Work in Economic Strengthening Initiatives (RICHES)

Few would expect that investments in women’s enterprises are increasing the risk or incidence of child labor or poor working conditions. However, a Pre-Situational Analysis (PSA) conducted by the RICHES initiative unveiled that as women entrepreneurs struggle to manage the labor burdens of their businesses with household tasks and unpaid care work, many are turning to those closest in reach for help – their children. As a result, the RICHES project proposes key policy and strategy recommendations that women’s economic empowerment (WEE) actors, such as financial service providers and women’s business support organizations, can implement at the organizational- and client-level.

These recommendations include, but are not limited to, raising awareness of the risks of child labor and poor working conditions among both WEE actors and their clients, developing and providing a comprehensive set of financial services that help women entrepreneurs manage risk as well as start and grow their enterprises, facilitating intra-household dialogues that promote positive household decision-making and planning, and linking clients to social protection services to meet their comprehensive needs.