The first Community Focal Point (CFP) training under the MY Voice project was held on May 10-11, 2024 in Sandakan. The training empowers community members to effectively identify and address child labour risks, contributing to a community-based, multistakeholder child labour remediation service, the Child Rights Action Hub. 36 participants, including teachers from alternative learning centres, attended the event. Among the participants were educators from Humana Child Aid Society Sabah, Etania Schools of Sabah, and Komunitas Sahabat (TKI).
The intensive one-and-a-half-day training comprehensively covered modules on child rights, child rights and business, child labour remediation, and gender-based discrimination. Participants also engaged in group discussions to address issues, challenges, and the skills needed to be an effective CFP.
CFPs are equipped to identify violations of children’s rights, such as suspected child labour, and to follow up on cases with the help of third-party service providers. They also work to raise awareness of children’s rights in the community. CFPs are individuals selected from community members close to workers in the palm oil plantations, such as schoolteachers, social workers, and community leaders. MY Voice invited several community-based organisations and alternative learning centres in Sabah for the training, chosen based on their independence from supply chain operations and their close work with children in palm oil plantations.
This training reflects the commitment of participants and the broader community to uphold and advocate for children’s rights. The majority of participants agreed that the knowledge conveyed—especially information on children’s rights, child labour and the role of CFPs—is useful and can be applied in their work.
The MY Voice project will continue engaging palm-growing communities in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia in CFP and other training programs as part of our Child Rights Action Hub initiative, working to help ensure that all children in these communities have the opportunity to thrive in a safe and supportive environment.
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