Week of Action against Child Labour

ILO and the Committee on the Rights of the Child call for urgent action to protect children’s rights and accelerate progress towards eliminating child labour by 2025

Joint statement of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the International Labour Organization to mark the Week of Action against Child Labour – 10-18 June 2021

Statement | 18 June 2021
In this Week of Action against Child Labour, the ILO and the Committee on the Rights of the Child call for urgent action to protect children’s rights and accelerate progress towards eliminating child labour by 2025, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal SDG target 8.7.

With the absolute number of children in child labour rising for the first time in twenty years to 160 million, according to the latest ILO-UNICEF global estimates, action is needed more than ever – particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which has seen an additional 16.6 million children in child labour over the last four years.

The lack of progress globally comes against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will push millions more children into child labour if urgent measures are not taken.

Reversing the trend will require a renewed commitment by countries to place children’s rights at the centre of economic and social policy. Realizing children’s rights to quality education, to healthcare, to social protection, to an adequate standard of living and having their voices heard in the decisions that affect them, are fundamental to their right to be free from child labour. Respecting children’s rights is also vital for economic and social development, as it allows them to access productive and decent work in the future as adults. This can lift whole societies out of poverty.

Robust legal protections, effectively enforced, are also critical. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO Conventions No. 138 on Minimum Age and No. 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour, States have an obligation to protect children from child labour, including by establishing and enforcing a minimum age for work or employment, among other legislative, administrative, social and educational measures. Convention No. 182 is the first ILO Convention to achieve universal ratification, and the Child Rights Convention is the most universally accepted human rights agreement in history.

We are at a critical point in the fight against child labour. ILO child labour standards, its tripartite nature, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child provide a tried-and-tested foundation for policy responses that can restore the momentum that has been lost. Particular attention to achieving a breakthrough in Africa, as well as expanded social protection and access to decent work for parents in rural communities are vital.

This International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour presents an invaluable opportunity to strengthen international cooperation and partnerships between governments, regional and international organizations, the private sector, trade unions, civil society organizations, research and academic institutions. With a renewed focus on tackling root causes and protecting children’s rights, we can get back on track toward the elimination of child labour.

Background
The Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors States parties' adherence to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols on involvement of children in armed conflict, and on sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The Convention to date has 196 States parties. The Committee is made up of 18 members who are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties.