Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Indonesia (Ratification: 2000)

Article 5 of the Convention. Monitoring mechanisms. Labour inspectorate. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that a review of the effectiveness of the current labour inspection programme in Indonesia in combating child labour indicated that the monitoring of child labour through labour inspection is very weak due to both human resources and financial resources constraints. The Government indicated that it has increased cooperation with non-governmental organizations to improve the quality of child labour monitoring. It further indicated that it has allocated a budget to improve child labour monitoring through inspection activities and data collection, although this activity has not yet reached all districts in Indonesia. Lastly, the Government indicated that it has provided training to new labour inspectors on child labour.

The Committee notes the Government’s statement in its report that, labour inspectors work with the Child Labour Monitoring (CLM) programme within the labour inspection system. The Government indicates that the CLM programme is partly based on the school inspection system that can be useful in identifying potential child workers. The CLM programme can also help broaden the scope of inspection to sectors and fields that are traditionally difficult to reach such as the informal economy in agriculture. Moreover, the Committee notes that, according to the ILO–IPEC Global Action Programme report, a capacity-building training on child labour was conducted for labour inspectors and other law enforcement officials in February 2015. The report outlines that labour inspectors in Indonesia would need serious assistance in developing their knowledge on child labour, skills in doing assessment and coordination with other stakeholders. With reference to its comments made under the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), the Committee requests the Government to pursue its efforts to strengthen the capacity of the child labour monitoring mechanisms, including through the allocation of additional resources and the organization of capacity-building activities to the labour inspectorate. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the implementation of any measures taken in this regard, particularly on measures taken to ensure the effective monitoring of children working in the informal economy.

Article 6. Programmes of action to eliminate the worst forms of child labour and application of the Convention in practice. The Committee previously noted that the National Action Plan on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (NAP on WFCL) prepared in 2002, was a three-stage programme over 20 years. The Committee also noted that the Indonesia Child Labour Survey (2009) indicated that approximately 20.7 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 years worked for more than 40 hours a week. The Survey also highlighted that approximately 8 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 years worked at places such as street or market stalls and traffic lights, which were identified in the Survey as unsafe places to work. The Committee noted the information on the outcomes achieved through the implementation of the NAP on WFCL, such as the withdrawal and prevention of around 7,000 children and the establishment of provincial committees against child labour.

The Committee notes that the Roadmap towards a child labour free Indonesia in 2022 (the Roadmap) was adopted in 2014 and is partly aimed at supporting the acceleration of the implementation of the NAP on WFCL, which is included in the Roadmap. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the results achieved through the implementation of these various initiatives, including the Roadmap and the NAP on WFCL, particularly in terms of the number of children prevented from engaging in, or removed from, the worst forms of child labour. It also requests the Government to provide information on the application of the Convention in practice, including any information available on the nature, extent and trends of the worst forms of child labour. To the extent possible, all information provided should be disaggregated by sex and age.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee previously noted that the Government had taken several measures to facilitate access to education to out-of-school children and vulnerable children. It however expressed its concern at the number of children who had dropped out of school. The Committee also noted that the Government has an inclusive education programme that aims at helping vulnerable groups, including child labourers, to return to school. The Government further indicated that it has taken measures to prevent the worst forms of child labour by providing free education and by providing scholarships to poor students, notably through the Family Hope Programme (PPA–PKH). Lastly, the Committee noted that the Government has been implementing a conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme entitled Keluarga Harapan since 2007.

The Committee notes the Government’s statement that it has been engaging in withdrawing working children from child labour by motivating them to return to school. In this regard, the Government indicates that 14,745 children were withdrawn from child labour by 2014. The Government also indicates that, through the Withdrawal Programme in order to support the PPA–PKH, 64,055 child labourers have been withdrawn from 2008 to 2015. The Government’s report does not provide any further information on measures taken to access education. The Committee observes that, according to UNESCO estimates, there were more than 3 million out-of-school children and adolescents in the country in 2012. Considering that education contributes to preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee encourages the Government to strengthen its efforts to facilitate access to free basic education for children from poorer families and vulnerable groups, including through the expansion of its programme. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the concrete measures taken in this regard, and to provide statistical information on the results obtained, particularly with regard to reducing the number of out-of-school children.

Clause (b). Direct assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour. Child labour in the footwear industry. The Committee previously noted that various projects had been undertaken aimed at preventing children from engaging in hazardous work in the footwear industry. Nonetheless, the Committee noted that it appeared that a significant number of children continued to work in the footwear industry, particularly in West Java. The Committee noted the Government’s statement that the regional government of the Bogor Regency (in West Java) has been, along with community leaders and teachers, taking measures to convey information to craftsmen on the dangers for children of working in footwear workshops. The Committee also noted the information from the ILO–IPEC that, through the International Garment Training Centre in Bogor, a programme of vocational training for former child labourers has been set up.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication that programmes and policies to protect children in the footwear industry were included in the Roadmap and the PPA–PKH. The Government does not provide any further information in this regard in its report. The Committee requests the Government to pursue its efforts to prevent children from engaging in hazardous work in the footwear industry as well as to provide for their removal and social integration. It requests the Government to provide information on measures taken in this regard, and on the results achieved.