Child Rights Action Hub DRC Kicks Off Youth Club Activities, Raises Awareness on Child Labour

While our global Child Rights Action Hubs focus on preventing and remediating child labour, our work goes further than responding to individual cases. Guided by international HRDD standards, we take a holistic approach that tackles the root causes of child labour by working across supply chains and with families and local communities. By building capacity, easing economic pressures and promoting the value of education, we aim to create lasting conditions that protect children over the long-term.

A key part of this approach is the Youth Club, which creates a space for meaningful engagement with children in our child labour remediation programme, young workers and their families. The initiative helps participants understand their rights, share lived experiences and build safer pathways into education and work. Alongside preventing child labour, it also addresses wider systemic issues such as child marriage, workplace harassment and legal protections for young workers. Originally launched in Bangladesh, the Youth Club is now a core part of our regional Action Hub framework in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

A parent during an activity

The impact of this engagement was clear during our first session in Kolwezi on December 29, 2025. The session brought together 23 parents and 24 children for interactive workshops and learning activities that helped parents better understand children’s rights, the value of education, goal-setting, harassment and abuse, financial literacy and more. Through these activities, participants strengthened family connections and gained practical knowledge to support more positive choices moving forward.

“It was great playing games with my mom, as we don’t get to do that very often. I want to come to the club for the whole holiday!” a child from the youth club.

Key stakeholders from the community participating in the Youth Club activity

The active involvement of local leaders, including a school manager and a community representative, helped anchor the initiative in the local context. Their involvement enabled an open discussion on parental responsibilities and child rights, ensuring that our protection goals are supported by local authorities. With four more sessions scheduled for 2026, each reaching up to 50 participants, our Action Hubs are committed to scaling this proactive, community-led approach to advancing child rights.