GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) is to mark this year’s World Day against Child Labour (June 12) with events in more than 50 countries, along with a new report on children in hazardous work.

The ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) will issue the study entitled “Children in hazardous work: what we know, what we need to do” for the day. The report analyzes the latest trends and estimates of children in hazardous work, and the risk to their health from such work as agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, domestic work and waste-picking.

The report looks at the issue of children in hazardous work both from a developed and developing country perspective, including the US and Europe. It also offers a series of policy recommendations to address this problem.

Events to mark the World Day against Child Labour will involve governments, employers, workers, and UN, non-governmental and civil society organizations. Events range from high-level policy debates to public and media events, awareness-raising campaigns, cultural performances and other public activities

The new report and an executive summary will be available to the media on June 10 (see below). In addition, the ILO will hold a panel discussion on children in hazardous work on the same day at the International Labour Conference. Later in the afternoon, hundreds of Geneva school children will mark the day with a “Children’s solidarity event” at the Place des Nations organized by the “Le Respect, ça change la Vie” community association, in cooperation with the ILO.

For Geneva correspondents

A press briefing on the report will take place on June 10 at 9:30 a.m. in Press Room 1 at the Palais des Nations. The briefing will be given by ILO-IPEC Director Constance Thomas, report author and ILO-IPEC Senior Technical Specialist Susan Gunn, ILO-IPEC Head of Research and Policy, Frank Hagemann and Seiji Machida, Director of ILO Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SAFEWORK).

Video coverage of the press conference and associated events, as well as a video news release are available by contacting the ILO Department. of Communication, RTV unit, +4122/799-7935 or via email: naets-sekiguchi@ilo.org

For more information on child labour or to interview experts on child labour and hazardous work, please contact the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour at +4122/799-6107, 6164 or, +33 633 414922 (English), +4122/799-6598, 6107 or +41 79 593 14 88 (English, French), +4122/799-7037, 7692 or +41 76 371 1252 (English, Spanish), or via email: ipec@ilo.org