Hanoi (ILO news) - Today, the International Labour Organization together with the Administration for Protection and Care of Children under Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs organized a meeting to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labour aiming at raising public and political awareness for campaigns to end child labour in Viet Nam.

The 2011 World Day provides a global spotlight on children involved in hazardous work, and calls for urgent action to address the problem. ILO estimated that there are 215 million children in child labour and of these, 115 million are directly involved in hazardous work. This is work that by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. In some cases the work may even jeopardize children’s lives.

With the theme “Warning! Children in hazardous work, End Child Labour”, the World Day Against Child Labour in Viet Nam aims at linking up national and local activities with those from around the world to build on momentum; strengthening the worldwide movement to tackle child labour especially hazardous work conditions of children; and advocating for immediate actions.

The World Day against Child Labour in Viet Nam included a range of activities such as drawing competition for pupils at both primary and lower secondary schools in five project provinces of Hanoi, Lao Cai, Ninh Binh, Quang Nam and Dong Nai; a series of reportages on child labour and a game-show on national TV to raise awareness of people on child labour issue. The top event was the meeting on 10 June 2011 where Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Director of ILO Country Office for Viet Nam Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard and Spanish Ambassador Fernando Curcio Ruigumez had a dialogue on Child Labour issue in Vietnam jointly delivered awarded to the children who won the drawing competition on child labour. The call to collect 5,000 signatures to stop child labour was initiated at the meeting presenting the strong commitment from institutions and agencies and people in the society in prevention and elimination of child labour, especially the worst forms of child labour.

At the meeting, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan emphasized: “Elimination of child labour cannot be solved in one day. It requires not only a sole policy but a comprehensive strategy with involvement of the whole community at national and international levels. Those who abuse and exploit child labour will be strictly punished to avoid similar child labour cases like Binh in Hanoi and Hao Anh in Ca Mau.”

Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard, Director of ILO Country Office for Viet Nam shared: "All children deserve and need a better future. This will only happen when all children have access to good schools, to education and sufficient social services. In Viet Nam the Government has already mainstreamed this important issue into the national development plans, strategies and programmes. Continued work to strengthen the national capacity to apply the ratified international standards and to ensure that all children can access quality schooling, social services is now a core priority."

The Spanish Ambassador Fernando Curcio Ruigumez said: “Spain has funded the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) initiatives since 1995. It started in Latin America with around 18 countries and after that it has extended the Spanish cooperation to combat the worst forms of child labour in countries in western of Africa and in Asia, it is Viet Nam”.

− work which exposes children to physical, psychological and sexual abuse;

− work underground, under water, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces;

− work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools, or which involves the manual handling or transport of heavy loads;

− work in an unhealthy environment which may, for example, expose children to hazardous substances, agents or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels, or vibrations damaging to their health;

− work under particularly difficult conditions such as work for long hours or during the night or work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises of the employer.

In March 2010, ILO launched a four-year project on Support to the Design and Implementation of National Programmes on the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour. The project is executed by ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), along with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Funding Agency is The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).

The project, which aims to push towards the prevention and eventual elimination of child labour in Viet Nam, has a national reach, and its pilot direct action programmes are initially expected to reach about 5,000 children and young people involved in the worst forms of child labour in five selected provinces and the cities of Hanoi, Lao Cai, Ninh Binh, Quang Nam and Dong Nai.

IPEC and MoLISA, with the involvement of many other partners and agencies has been cooperating for long to eliminate the worst forms of child labour in Vietnam. Working with employers and workers is fundamental to IPEC’s approach, and a key strategy is to strengthen and take advantage of social dialogue opportunities to influence policy development and reform in areas such as employment, trade, social welfare and education.

Ms Le Thi Huong Lien

Communications Officer, ILO Country Office for Viet Nam

Email