New UN report urges greater global efforts to end child labour by ILO / United Nations News 11:44pm 4th May, 2010   9 June 2010    As football fever spreads with the kick-off of the World Cup in South Africa this Friday, the United Nations labour agency today urged the world not to forget the plight of an estimated 215 million children who have to work for survival and miss out on education and sports.    “Go for the goal – end child labour,” is the UN International Labour Organization’s (ILO) appeal to the international community ahead of World Day Against Child Labour, which will be marked on Saturday. The agency is calling particular attention to the target of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016.    “While billions are caught up in the excitement of the football World Cup, some 215 million children are labouring for survival. Education and play are luxuries for them. Progress towards ending child labour is slowing down and we are not on course to end its worst forms by 2016,” said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.    “We have to get the momentum going again. Let us draw inspiration from the World Cup and rise to the challenge with the energy, the right strategy and the commitment it takes to get to the goal,” he added.    World Day Against Child Labour events will be held in more than 60 countries involving governments, employers, workers, and UN, civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), according to ILO.    Many of the activities will also focus new attention on the “red card campaign against child labour” initiative led by the ILO, including the publication of a resource kit produced in collaboration with FIFA that is aimed at using football to support work in child labour elimination projects.    In Geneva on Friday the International Labour Conference will also discuss the ILO’s new global report on child labour. On the same day, hundreds of local schoolchildren will participate in a solidarity event organized by a community association.    The World Day is taking place one month after more than 450 delegates from 80 countries met at a conference in The Hague convened by the Netherlands to agree on a road map to accelerate progress to reach the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016.    Agreement on the road map came as the ILO’s third global report on child labour warned that the global campaign against the scourge is at a critical juncture. The report shows that global efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour are losing momentum, and warns that unless they are significantly stepped up, the 2016 target will not be reached.    12 May 2010    Countries agree on UN-backed roadmap to curb child labour.    With more than 200 million children around the world working at the expense of their future, a new United Nations-backed action plan seeks to ramp up global action to stamp out the scourge by 2016.    At the end of a two-day Global Child Labour Conference in The Hague yesterday, more than 450 delegates from 80 countries agreed on a so-called roadmap, which characterizes the effective abolition of child labour as a “moral necessity.”    The programme also emphasizes that “government responsibility should be assumed at the highest level and with the best interests of children in mind taking into consideration the views of children and their families, and should include due attention to the most vulnerable children and the conditions that create their vulnerability.”    As such, authorities should consider the impact of policies on the worst forms of child labour by taking in account gender and age, among other measures, it said.    The UN International Labour Organization (ILO), which took part in the conference, has defined the worst forms of child labour as all forms of slavery, including child trafficking and use of children in armed conflict; child prostitution; and the use of children in illicit activities, including drug production.    It also comprises hazardous work, which is classified as negatively impacting a child’s safety, health and moral development. Hazardous work conditions include night work, long hours and exposure to physical, psychological or sexual abuse.    The discussions this week in The Hague “clearly show that if we stick to business as usual, the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016 will simply be missed,” said ILO Executive Director Kari Tapiola.    A new ILO study issued over the weekend warned that efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour are waning and called for a “re-energized” global campaign to end the scourge.    The Global Report on Child Labour assessed progress made so far and highlighted the challenges that remain if the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by the target date of 2016 is to be achieved.    It noted a “slowing down of the global pace of reduction” – with the number of child labourers worldwide declining from 222 million to 215 million, or 3 per cent, from 2004 to 2008.    “Progress is uneven: neither fast enough nor comprehensive enough to reach the goals that we have set,” said Juan Somavia, ILO Director-General.    “New and large-scale efforts are needed. The situation calls for a re-energized campaign against child labour. We must scale up action and move into a higher gear.”    The report also expressed concern that the global economic crisis could “further brake” progress toward the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016.    “The economic downturn cannot become an excuse for diminished ambition and inaction. Instead it offers the opportunity to implement the policy measures that work for people, for recovery and for sustainable development,” said Mr. Somavia.    “New and large-scale efforts are needed. The situation calls for a re-energized campaign against child labour. We must scale up action and move into a higher gear.”    “The economic downturn cannot become an excuse for diminished ambition and inaction. Instead it offers the opportunity to implement the policy measures that work for people, for recovery and for sustainable development,” said Mr. Somavia.    The report, which breaks down data by age, gender and region, showed that Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean continue to reduce child labour, while sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed an increase. Africa also has the highest incidence of children working, with one in four children engaged in child labour.    The scale of the problem in Africa is among the key remaining challenges in tackling child labour, according to Constance Thomas, Director of the ILO"s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).    Other challenges include a much-needed breakthrough in agriculture, where most child labourers work, and the need to address often hidden forms of child labour.    “Most child labour is rooted in poverty. The way to tackle the problem is clear. We must ensure that all children have the chance of going to school, we need social protection systems that support vulnerable families – particularly at times of crisis – and we need to ensure that adults have a chance of decent work. These measures, combined with effective enforcement of laws that protect children, provide the way forward,” said Ms. Thomas. Visit the related web page
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