IL394442275K

Award Purpose

This project will increase Workers Organizations' (WOS) and Civil Society Organizations' (CSOs) collective action to address forced labor (FL), child labor (CL), and other labor violations (LVS) in cattle raising areas of Brazil and Paraguay, specifically in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and in the department of Boquerón in the El Chaco region. It will strengthen the capacity of WOS and CSOs in both countries to identify LVS and advocate on behalf of workers in targeted cattle raising areas. It will also increase the capacity of WOS and CSOs to provide services for workers and their families and address labor violations. The project will also increase the level of WOS' and CSOS' engagement with private sector stakeholders to advocate for better work conditions. The ILO estimates that the implementation of this project will directly benefit 250 and indirectly 4119 workers/participants in Brazil, and directly 1200 individuals in Paraguay.

Activities Performed

Specifically, in Brazil, the project will work with 38 WOS and CSOs in the southwest of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and the Pantanal region, in the same state. Likewise, in Paraguay, the project will work with 16 WOS and CSOs in the surrounding areas and cities of Filadelfia, Mariscal Estigarribia, and Loma Plata, in the department of Boquerón, in the El Chaco region. The project will help protect the labor rights of rural workers living as settlers, riverbank dwellers, members of indigenous communities, and members of peri-urban communities in the target areas. It will work closely with organizations representing nine indigenous peoples in Mato Grosso do Sul and seven indigenous peoples in El Chaco. Given the above, the project will develop an integrated communications and outreach strategy that will help it adapt its activities to its different audiences' needs, preferences, language, and cultural particularities. In the case of Brazil, the project will first assess the strengths and weaknesses of WOS and CSOs to identify LVS and to advocate on behalf of workers belonging to target territories, communities, and/or vulnerable populations. It will then expand/mainstream knowledge related to FL, CL, and other LVS in the daily work and institutional logic of WOS and CSOs, and it will strengthen the capacity of WOS and CSOs to address FL, CL, and LVS, by supporting the development of their action strategies and tools, and of institutional fundraising practices. The project will increase the effectiveness of collective response of WOS and CSOs to LVS, by increasing their capacity to mobilize target communities and strengthen the democratic participation of workers and communities in the actions of WOS and CSOs. Awareness raising campaigns on the issues of FL, CL, and other LVS will be implemented.

Deliverables

The project will increase the capacity of WOS and CSOs in both countries to forward workers' complaints on FL, CL, and other LVS to labor authorities, and it will increase the capacity of WOS and CSOs in Brazil to provide services addressing the needs of workers affected by FL, CL, and other LVS, and their families. The project will help highlight and help mainstream the issues of FL, CL, and other LVS in the agendas of public institutions and CSOs to provide qualified assistance to vulnerable communities and to institutionalize procedures for the flow of assistance to victims of LVS. All project activities will consider gender-related issues, children, and young people, both girls and boys, as well as individuals living with disabilities, by paying attention to the specificities of the demands of these audiences, their historical invisibility, and asymmetries.
The project will promote South-South exchanges among key stakeholders of both countries. It will support the institutionalization of tripartite social dialogue in the livestock supply chain in Brazil and the establishment of a sectoral pact for decent work in the livestock industry. The project will also promote that a supply chain approach is considered when addressing FL in the cattle raising sector in Paraguay. It will work with government authorities, WOS and CSOs, and the private sector to ensure that the required resources (human and financial) will be available after the project ends. An exit strategy which sets out plans for transfer of responsibilities and corresponding capacity building interventions will be prepared, since the start of project implementation, to ensure that national stakeholders will continue sustaining project outcomes.

Intended Beneficiary

The ILO estimates that the implementation of this project will directly benefit 250 and indirectly 4119 workers/participants in Brazil, and directly 1200 individuals in Paraguay.

Subrecipient Activities

N/A

International Labor Organization

17.401 - International Labor Programs

OASAM Office of Grants Management [DOL - OASAM]

Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILA) [DOL]

Brazil

Foreign

None

Termination This other financial assistance was reported as terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in July 2025. See All
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 12/14/26 to 03/27/25.