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Colombia is known for producing some of the highest-quality coffee in the world, with its unique geography making for excellent growing conditions. More than 500,000 Colombians work in the coffee industry, fulfilling a centuries-old tradition across nearly 2.2 million acres of Colombian highlands. Coffee growing is a central part of Colombian identity and culture; however, it is also one of the sectors in which child labor is most prevalent. This reality may be worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

No Brasil, todo 28 de agosto se comemora o Dia Nacional do Voluntário. Criado pela lei 7.352, a data celebra os indivíduos que doam parte do seu tempo para a realização de atividades sociais. Com ações que envolvem pelo menos 6 dos 17 Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentáveis das Nações Unidas, os capítulos brasileiros somam juntos anos de histórias, horas trabalhadas e impactos causados nas comunidades locais. / In Brazil, August 28th is National Volunteer Day. Created by a national law, this date celebrates individuals who donate their time to help others. With actions that involve at least six of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Partners' Brazilian Chapters have been helping to change the world by empowering and helping local communities. 

Anna details her impactful experience as one of many students from the University of Louisville who traveled to Ecuador in March 2020 as a part of the Kentucky-Ecuador Chapter’s study abroad program in Ecuador. The students visited seven schools in five days, where they provided fluoride varnish to improve children's dental health and taught English. All 10 students who participated are now Kentucky-Ecuador Chapter members. 

On June 25, 2020, the U.S. Department of State (USDOS) released the yearly Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for 2020. The 20th edition of the report primarily consisted of analyses and narratives of the state of trafficking in each country recognized by the USDOS, with a special emphasis on law enforcement efforts. At Partners of the Americas (Partners), the Child Protection Unit’s (CPU) programs directly tackle many of the issues of child, labor, and sex trafficking addressed in the report’s country narratives and regional analyses.

Poverty is projected to increase by at least 20% in 2020, largely as a result of COVID-19, which could increase rates of child labor by 14%, according to a joint paper by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF. In 2020, Partners and it’s USDOL-funded projects have continued its efforts to combat child labor, forced labor, and improve working conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean throughout the pandemic.

Con el objetivo de promover la cultura de paz en tiempos del COVID-19, la Red Internacional de Estudiantes por la Paz (Red EsPaz Perú) Capítulo afiliado de la organización Partners of the Americas viene desarrollando desde el mes de abril a la fecha conversatorios online dirigido a estudiantes y profesionales que tienen el compromiso de conectar, servir y continuar transformando vidas en la sociedad.

Since the start of COVID-19, epicenters of the virus have moved across borders, across continents, and across hemispheres. Now, as of mid-May, Latin America is the newest region suffering from the most cases of and subsequent deaths due to the novel-coronavirus.

Según cifras oficiales, Colombia ha afrontado con relativo éxito el combate al trabajo infantil. En la última medición sobre trabajo infantil hecha por el Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística – DANE (trimestre móvil Octubre – Diciembre 2019) las cifras dan cuenta de una leve disminución en la tasa de trabajo infantil y en el número de niños, niñas y adolescentes (NNA) que participan en el mercado laboral al pasar de una tasa del 5.9% en 2018 al 5.4% en 2019.

As a crisis that heavily impacts vulnerable populations, the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could push millions of vulnerable children into child labor. Today on World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) Partners of the Americas commemorates its dedication to preventing child labor in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our Child Protection Unit (CPU) continues its efforts to combat child labor in the region while tackling the unique problems that COVID-19 has created.