The American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center) was launched in 1997 by the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (a national federation that represents more than 13 million working women and men in the United States) to work with unions and community groups worldwide to achieve equitable, sustainable, democratic development and to help men and women everywhere stand up for their rights and improve their living and working standards.

SPARC’s cooperation with the Solidarity Center’s regional office in Colombo, Sri Lanka dates back to 1997 when it was organizing the Pakistan stretch of the Global March Against Child Labor in 1998.

The Solidarity Center has supported SPARC publications covering subjects such as child labor, American legislation (both passed and pending) relating to child labor, and the CACL Directory of Members. SPARC has also been able to involve its CRCs in activities to raise awareness about the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, thereby also building their capacity.

The documentary Silent Scream: Child Labor in Pakistan has also been produced with the help of the Solidarity Center. SPARC is also airing radio messages about the plight of child domestic workers with the Solidarity Center’s support.

The Solidarity Center’s cooperation enabled SPARC to work closely with the trade unions in Pakistan which few other civil society organizations are currently doing, and also to organize a number of national conferences on subjects relating to poverty and child labor in Islamabad.

Anti-Slavery International (ASI) , founded in 1839, is the world’s oldest international human rights organization and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and related abuses. It works at local, national and international levels to eliminate the system of slavery around the world.

Anti-Slavery International has been SPARC’s partner since 1999. Currently ASI is supporting SPARC’s efforts to advocate for the effective implementation of ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor (No 182).

The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers works to prevent the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, to secure their demobilization and to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Founded in 1998, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (CSC) unites national, regional and international organizations and networks in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Its founding organizations are Amnesty International, Defence for Children International, Human Rights Watch, International Federation Terre des Hommes, International Save the Children Alliance, Jesuit Refugee Service, the Quaker United Nations Office-Geneva and World Vision International.

Coalition Against Child Labor - (CACL): SPARC convened the inaugural meeting of CACL in Islamabad on September 21, 1997, inviting about 40 leading civil society organizations to form a coalition against child labor. No such network existed then and no other exists even today. Almost everybody present, with a few exceptions, supported the initiative, and the majority asked SPARC to become CACL’s first coordinator. SPARC declined, as it wanted to promote democratic values within the coalition.

The Coalition faced acute leadership problems from the start. Recognizing the coalition’s potential, SPARC intervened to save it from collapse and is proud of its progress since 1997. Much remains to be achieved, and unfortunately CACL has not done as much as it could have to highlight the child labor issue. But some organizations and district and provincial coordinators have succeeded in placing CACL on the national map and its membership has now crossed 350 organizations.

CACL is the only network in Pakistan, and perhaps in South Asia, that stands for the total elimination of child labor. It is of the firm opinion that child labor cannot be eradicated without making education free and compulsory. It also realizes that some children, despite best attempts, would continue to work and it thus also works to improve the plight of working children.

Any NGO, coalitions, trade unions or federation that subscribes to the aims and objectives of CACL is eligible to become a member. A non-registered organization can become a non-voting member.