Commemoration of the World Day Against Child Labour 2009: “Give Girls a Chance – End Child Labour”

The Commemoration aims to raise public awareness on child labour issues in Indonesia with a special attention to girls in child labour and to bring main stakeholders relevant players together in order to foster further actions for the end of child labour.

I. Background

The ILO has estimated that some 100 million girls are involved in child labour around the world. Many of these girls undertake similar types of work as boys, but often also endure additional hardships and face extra risks. In Indonesia, the incidence of girl labourers is less than that of boy. However, girls are all too often exposed to some of the worst forms of child labour and often work in more hidden and difficult work situations without any protection such as domestic work, commercial sexual exploitation, and child trafficking.

Education is considered the right answer in combating child labour. Unfortunately girls are at a greater disadvantage when it comes to education opportunity. Girl’s educations are frequently threatened by preference of education sons or by early marriage and by social and cultural practices that disadvantage women. Other factors that limit girls’ educational opportunity range from the distance of the schools, to the provision of relevant curricula sensitive to their needs and aspirations. In Indonesia, the higher the education level the wider is the gender gap. Also girls drop out is at higher rates than boys, especially in rural areas.

To address the issue of girl child labour, the World Day against Child Labour 2009 will take the theme of “Give Girls a Chance – End Child Labour.” The World Day against Child Labour will be commemorated worldwide in 12 June 2009, including in Indonesia where ILO Jakarta would conduct a series of campaign.

II. Objectives

  • To raise public awareness on child labour issues in Indonesia with a special attention to girls in child labour;
  • To bring main stakeholders relevant players together in order to foster further actions for the end of child labour; and
  • To strengthen the effectiveness of the ILO’s endeavour on the occasion of the World Day against Child Labour as well as 10th anniversary of the adoption of ILO Convention No. 182 and 90th anniversary of the ILO.

III. Strategies

1. Coordination with the National Action Committee for the Elimination of Child Labour in Indonesia

ILO will conduct meetings with the National Action Committee members to inform them about the ILO’s plan in commemorating the WDACL and to seek their supports, invite their feedback to the plan as well as to seek their active participation in organizing and activities.

2. Media Campaign

a. Press Conference

b. Radio and TV talk shows

3. Production and Distribution of Campaign Materials

4. March against child labour, with a special attention to girls

ILO Jakarta will conduct a march against child labour on Sunday, 21th of June 2009. This march is aiming at raising awareness of the general public on the issue of child labour, especially girl child labour and at calling for enhanced policy responses to tackle the problems in Indonesia, particularly in giving a chance to girl child labor.

5. Campaign using SMS and Facebook

To reach wider public, a series of messages will be sent out through SMS to inform public about:

• 12 June 2009 is the World Day Against Child Labour

• The March against child labour will be held in 14 June and invite public to join or watch it, and

• Inviting public to join efforts in providing girls a chance to end child labour

A group on child labour will be created in the face book. As with the SMS, a series of messages will be disseminated using Facebook to promote the WDACL, to invite participation in the March as well as to inform about the problem of child labour, especially girl child labour.

6. Campaign at local level (12 to 20 June 2009)

In partnership with local NGOs, ILO will conduct various campaigns at the local level, especially in villages where currently IPEC is supporting implementation of action programs to withdraw and prevent child labour in 4 targeted sectors: child labour in plantation, child domestic labour, child trafficking and street children. The local level campaign will target children (child labour and children at risk, parents, community members at large and community leaders) in some villages in North Sumatra, Lampung, Jakarta, West Java and East Java.