Pikolo seasonal child labor in fılm

The 2014 documentary film "Pikolo 2, One Year Older" was screened in Istanbul with the participation of Numan Özcan, the director of International Labour Organization's (ILO) Turkey office. The documentary by Deniz Gürgen is about the International Labour Organization's project to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in seasonal agriculture in hazelnut harvesting in Ordu province in Turkey. The story is about seasonal agricultural workers and their children who have to travel away from home for around nine months of the year to earn their living. Around 10 to 20 family members squeeze into a minivan to travel for work from one city to another, living a nomadic life. Children are illegally working under hard conditions together with their families and lack a school education.

The documentary tackles the roots of the problem and possible solutions through interviews and observations during the ILO project The ILO, Ministry of Labor and Social Security and Directorate General of Labor are jointly implementing a project, the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Ordu. Two documentary films have been produced as part of the project.

Pikolo, Growing to a Better Future

The 2013 documentary, "Pikolo, Growing to a Better Future," focuses on the issue of child labor in seasonal commercial agriculture as well as the importance of hazelnut production at both the national and international level.

The main reasons for child labor in hazelnut harvesting are discussed by experts and families while introducing child workers. The documentary seeks to find answers and if ILO's Elimination of Child Labor in Seasonal Agricultural Work in Hazelnut Harvesting in Ordu project can be a model to combat child labor in seasonal agriculture work in general.

Pikolo 2, One Year Older

"Pikolo, One year older" is a 2014 documentary that was planned as a sequel to the 2013 documentary, "Pikolo, Growing to a Better Future," and focuses on the project implementation process. The activities of the project are told through the eyes children affected by the project's existence and their teachers. Outside the school activities such as family support, visits to tents and gardens and counseling services are documented. Interviews are conducted with seasonal workers to understand how they see the project in the second year.

About the project

The Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labor in Seasonal Hazelnut Harvesting in Ordu project was initiated in coordination with the ILO Office for Turkey and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security under the auspices of the Ordu Governorate in November 2012. By the end of 2013, it was decided to extend the project for a period of one year and its activities continued in the expanded project sites during the 2014 harvesting season. In this period, infrastructure services were further improved in project sites with the participation of the Ordu Metropolitan Municipality with project partners. Following the end of fieldwork, a participatory study to prepare a policy document to combat the worst forms of child labor in seasonal agriculture in all of Turkey has begun utilizing the Ordu experience.