PRIME Business and Social Services

PRIME International/A Social Enterprise, LLC provides technical assistance (TA) and advisory services (AS) to governments, businesses, and organizations, through consultancies and short-term contracts.

Independent Consulting

• Technical Assistance to design and develop a strategy for building a portfolio in women’s empowerment, livelihoods, good labor practices; addressing risks and responsiveness in private sector supply chains, vested interests, youth entrepreneurship, and vibrant rural markets.

• Advisory services for new business opportunities and developing proposals for US government and other donors to address labor standards, safe access to education, civil society capacity building, and women’s livelihoods.

• Address hazardous working conditions and coordination with private sector for managing legally aged youth opportunities. Identify a sample country either with a supply chain or other supply chains in agriculture, mining, or manufacturing. Provide analysis of the US Department of Labor Worst Forms of Child Labor Report and the ILO World Reports on Child Labor and Forced Labor, at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/apps)

• Advisory services and guidelines in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), baseline studies in remote areas.

Partner with PRIME • PRIME International can be contracted to provide services as part of an advisory group or partner to implement and advise on developing facets of proposals and implementation as a contractor.

• PRIME would engage 2-4 US and international specialists to carry out specific assignments such as trainings in Child Labor Monitoring System (CLMS) and referrals; incorporating understanding of risks and awareness raising of good labor practices and value added as benefits for communities, local governments; labor inspectorates; education systems; women’s leadership, and livelihoods.

• Collaboration in hard to reach rural areas, and youth on- and off- farm skills education with private sector partners and other sectors to expand impact.

• Training in Occupational Safety and Health case management for child and youth workers in the informal sectors.

• Access to education in areas with challenging environments due to natural causes and climate change.

Service Delivery and Sound Solutions  

Discussion points on Child Labor and How Businesses Can Go Beyond Risk Analysis to Sustainable Solutions 

Businesses regularly conduct risk assessments and use compliance tools to address their risks. How extensive are the risk assessments for rooting out child labor from hidden, remote locations in developing countries? Typically, businesses look to their formal structures such as factories and large plantations to address and report on any labor violations. While this is a first step in acknowledging and addressing child labor, it barely scratches the surface. The reason is that most child labor is found in informal sectors and in small scale family enterprises or farms (see International Labour Organization World Report on Child Labour Estimates 2017). The efforts being made are largely diminished in terms of impacts since most assessments do not reach out to unorganized or remote family and small farm holders to deter children under legal working ages, or hazardous work which is illegal for anyone under 18 in most countries.

How can we help companies and governments to focus on these outlying but formidable areas of labor, and how can families know what constitutes child labor and what is appropriate work for young people? We are developing tools and guidelines that will make it easy to tell the difference and provide examples and innovative solutions for farmers, families and children including youth of legal working age - to work safely, productively, at age appropriate tasks under acceptable conditions and time frames. We believe and have evidence that it is in the interests of businesses, farmers, and families, to upgrade labor to meet the needs of a system and clean supply chains, business prosperity, and thriving communities.

Check back for developments and launch of TOOLS (Transition Opportunities for Optimal Labor Solutions)

PRIME International is an innovative Social Enterprise that specializes in Labor Rights and Aligns Policies and Practices of Businesses, Governments, Advocates, Investors, and Practitioners to eradicate child labor globally. We focus on increased employment opportunities for youth 15-17, a growing population that is legally old enough to work in non-hazardous jobs in most countries.

IRONY AND DIS-SOLUTIONS

Employers are trying to preserve safety for youth so do not consider employing them if under 18 years of age as they may not have the means or skills to provide the training and conditions necessary for adolescent youth of legal working age (i.e.14-17) to work in safe non-hazardous conditions.  This pushes the youth to find work in other hazardous and risky ways most likely in the informal, unregulated sector on small farms or in the streets, thus increasing risks and prevalence of hazardous work, and worst forms of child labor. 

PRIME International counsels both employers and youth to align the needs and realize support for both sides. We look at value added and business interests:

  • Business case and upholding labor rights means understanding why it is in the interest of businesses and governments and communities to observe legal parameters for good labor practices to include:

  • Blended financing for youth enterprises and education

  • Impact investing in a rural economies & entrepreneurship

  • Police protection, labor Inspection, law enforcement;  accountability

  • Transparency in regular reporting out on progress and supply chain challenges

Measuring and documenting best practices for sustainability. Vested Interests, shared values, business cases, identifying issues that bring communities and differing perceptions together to achieve common goals.

  • Business Incentives include support for business leadership for what adolescent youth CAN do that is productive, safe, and consumer respected so attractive. Provide evidence and examples of businesses, farms, factories, that employ 15-17 age youth and comply with safety.

  • Stay competitive and lead a level playing field where good labor practices are emulated.

  • Work with police, media, parents, farmers, with home economics and extension referral services for small holders and suppliers.

  • Award employee of the month for hiring youth and training in skills for scale.

  • Training in mobile technologies for data and alerts on child labor; documenting referrals