Campaign includes documentary about dreams of child laborers

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, Spain, has launched the “Dreaming without chains” campaign to help ensure youth have access to education. One in six children in the world is excluded from education. In the 2022 school year, more than 240 million children did not go to school, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Children are out of school for several reasons including poverty, child labor, early marriage, motherhood, violence and long distances to travel to school. Some of these children are enrolled in school but will not attend classes. Others will stop going because they have to work to contribute to the livelihood of their families. The quality of education available is also a rising concern. Teacher training is essential.

Part of the “Dream without chains” campaign includes the “Canillitas” documentary, which raises awareness about the struggles and dreams of child laborers. Raúl de la Fuente, an award-winning documentarian, filmed in the Dominican Republic. He will travel to five European cities and 12 Spanish cities with three of the youth featured in the film to share how education is a path to eradicating child labor.

In the documentary, six teenagers, Edwin, Cristóbal, Moisés, Achilles, Kioranny and Abril, live in very poor and dangerous neighborhoods and work as shoe-shiners, sell fruit, clean houses, and more just to survive.

Karen Montás, director of the Canillitas program with Don Bosco in the Dominican Republic, said, “From an early age, they were taught that working was not a bad thing because it formed character, helped the family economy, made them responsible and drove away the possibility of them becoming thieves.”

Salesian missionaries around the globe are focused on ensuring children understand their rights and are able to learn in are safe environments. The goal is to offer quality education so children can become agents of change in their lives and put an end to inequalities and injustices, building a better, more just and sustainable world.

One of the biggest challenges Salesians face is eradicating child labor. More than 160 million children work and are deprived of the opportunity to go to school. A Salesian social worker in Peru said, “Many children try to combine school and work to help their poor families, without being aware that their rights are being violated.”

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Spain – This year, too, millions of children will not go to school and education for them will return to being a dream

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain