What Parliamentarians can do to promote the elimination of child labour
At a Global Meeting of Parliamentarians Without Borders for Children’s Rights, the ILO provided information on specific actions Parliamentarians can take to eliminate child labour.
The ILO participated to the Third Global Meeting of Parliamentarians Without Borders for Children’s Rights, which was organized by the Global March Against Child Labour in Brussels. The meeting brought together Members of Parliament from Sri Lanka, Togo, Ghana, Uganda, Benin, Costa Rica and Paraguay, and representatives from the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.
Benjamin Smith, Senior Specialist on child labour at the ILO, recalled that 152 million children are trapped in child labour. The agricultural sector accounts for 71% of all those in child labour, whereas the services and industry sectors count 26 million and 18 million children in child labour. The industry sector, which includes construction and mining, is where children face the greatest risk of encountering hazards.
Asked about how to ensure that companies in the supply chain do not contribute to child labour, he underlined that trade unions are the best guarantee for keeping children out of the workplace. “In enterprises where there is freedom of association and collective bargaining, child labour is not a problem,” he explained. The organisation of small producers into cooperatives and employers’ associations can improve livelihoods and address poverty, a key root cause of child labour, he added.
Irene Wintermayr, Policy Officer at ILO-Brussels, provided information on specific actions Parliamentarians can take to eliminate child labour, such as ensuring that their countries have ratified ILO Conventions n°182 and n°138 and promoting the enforcement of legislation. She also suggested to establish a national programme to eliminate child labour, and to monitor and evaluate progress towards this goal.
Benjamin Smith, Senior Specialist on child labour at the ILO, recalled that 152 million children are trapped in child labour. The agricultural sector accounts for 71% of all those in child labour, whereas the services and industry sectors count 26 million and 18 million children in child labour. The industry sector, which includes construction and mining, is where children face the greatest risk of encountering hazards.
Asked about how to ensure that companies in the supply chain do not contribute to child labour, he underlined that trade unions are the best guarantee for keeping children out of the workplace. “In enterprises where there is freedom of association and collective bargaining, child labour is not a problem,” he explained. The organisation of small producers into cooperatives and employers’ associations can improve livelihoods and address poverty, a key root cause of child labour, he added.
Irene Wintermayr, Policy Officer at ILO-Brussels, provided information on specific actions Parliamentarians can take to eliminate child labour, such as ensuring that their countries have ratified ILO Conventions n°182 and n°138 and promoting the enforcement of legislation. She also suggested to establish a national programme to eliminate child labour, and to monitor and evaluate progress towards this goal.