Closed for application

Fund against Child Labour - FBK

Last checked on:
8 August 2024
Published on:
11 November 2016

Do you represent an international company? The entire production chain is not always transparent. You may not be aware of child labour in your production chain. Entrepreneurs who actively want to end child labour in their chain can get support from the Fund against Child Labour (FBK) programme.

FBK is now closed; you can no longer apply for a subsidy.

Consult our advisors

Do you ask yourself if child labour takes place in your production chain? And if you do, do you ask yourself how to approach this? Consult our advisors; they are happy to help you and offer advice. Send an email to our FBK advisors with your ideas.

For whom?

FBK helps Dutch entrepreneurs who want to:

  • research the leading causes of child labour in their production chains;
  • take actions to prevent child labour at a local level;
  • take measures to prevent child labour in their businesses.

Conditions

Approved projects had to meet the following conditions:

  • You applied for a subsidy for activities aimed at combatting child labour.
  • You carry out these activities in a partnership within 4 years.
  • FBK accepts applications for countries on the List of recipients of Official Development Assistance (pdf).
  • You can find all the details of the FBK administrative rules and our project criteria in the unofficial translation of the Government Gazette (see the pdf file below).
  • Your project follows the international guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC).

Partnership

One of the conditions to apply was that your company finds partners. Your company must have partnered with:

  • other companies in the same sector;
  • other organisations, such as NGOs or sector organisations;
  • local parties, such as local authorities, schools, children and parents.

Your partnership consists of at least the following:

  • 1 Dutch company
  • 1 NGO, and
  • 1 local company.

Only a Dutch company or NGO could apply for a subsidy.

Frequently asked questions

For more information on FBK, see our frequently asked questions.

Background

Worldwide, 160 million children are participating in labour. We use the term child labour for children who are too young to work, do work too hard or dangerous for them, and keep them from going to school. A lack of education can block the development of children and society. Child labour is a result of poverty and an important cause.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals state that child labour should be eliminated by 2025. With FBK, your business can help achieve this goal by ending child labour. The infographic Ending Child Labour: How Do We Get There? (see below) shows how FBK contributes to SDG 8.7, ending all forms of child labour by 2025. See our long read on child labour for more information.

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency commissions FBK on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Publications

Mid-term reviews

Project administration

The lead party must report on the progress of the project periodically. In the subsidy decision, you can find the reporting moments. Use the following forms:

Projects from 2018: project A and proposal project B

Projects from 2018: project B

FBK in practice

"Children deserve a better future and they have a right to an education."

Arte Groep is an SME that produces kitchen worktops. Their stone comes from quarries in India. Although children do not work at the quarries, they still work in the area. With a subsidy from FBK and together with Arise (NGO), Arte helped create a child labour free zone, so children can go to school. 

Niels van den Beucken
Director Arte

Looking for inspiration?

Have a look at other Fund against Child Labour subsidised projects.

Commissioned by:
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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