1. Targeting the intolerable
The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour

2. What is Child Labour?
It is work that children should not be doing because they are too young to work, or – if they are old enough to work – because it is dangerous or otherwise unsuitable for them
Not all work done by children should be classified as child labour to be eliminated. Some types of work, e.g earning pocket money during school holidays, can be beneficial to a child’s development
Whether or not particular forms of “work” can be called “child labour” depends on the child’s age, the type and hours of work performed and the conditions under which it is performed, as set out in the ILO Conventions

3. Causes of Child Labour Poverty Culture and tradition
Barriers to education
Market demand
The effects of income shocks on households
Lack of legislation and/or poor enforcement of existing legislation

4. Consequences of Child Labour
Deprives them of schooling or requires them to assume the multiple burden of schooling and work
Jeopardises their health and safety – high risk of illness and injury…even death
Affects their physical development (malnutrition, long working hours in bad conditions)
Exposes them to physical and psychological abuse and violence which all have long term consequences
Deprives them of their childhood and of their future

5. Magnitude of the problem
Child labour in the world
215,000,000
Child labourers,
5-17 years old
115,000,000
Engaged in hazardous
work, 5-17 years old

6. 6 Global trends in child labour (age group 5-17, million) 250 245
245.5
240
235
Million
230
225
222.3
220
215
215.3
210
2000
2004
2008
Year 6

7. 7 Global trends in child labour (age group 5-17, percentage) 16.5 16.0
15.5
15.0 %
14.5
14.2
14.0
13.6
13.5
13.0
2000
2004
2008
Year 7

8. 8 Global trends in hazardous work (age group 5-17, million) 180 170
170.5
160
150
Million
140
130
128.4
120
115.3
110
100
2000
2004
2008
Year 8

9. 9 Global trends in hazardous work (age group 5-17, percentage) 12 11
11.1 10 9 %
8.2 8
7.3 7 6 5
2000
2004
2008
Year 9

10. Global trends in child labour, by sex (age group 5-17, million)
140
132.2
130
127.8
120
119.6
113.3
110
Million
102.7
100 90
87.5 80 70 60
2000
2004
2008
Year
Boys
Girls 10

11. 11 Global trends in child labour by sex (age group 5-17, percentage)
18.0%
17.0%
16.8%
16.0%
15.6%
15.2%
15.0%
14.9% %
14.0%
13.5%
13.0%
12.0%
11.4%
11.0%
10.0%
2000
2004
2008
Year
Boys
Girls 11

12. 12 Children in employment (aged group 5-14, million) 140 127 122 12096
100 80
Million 58 60 48 49 40 17 20 11 10
Asia and the Pacific
Latin America and the
Sub-Saharan Africa
Caribbean
Region
2000
2004
2008 12

13. Children in employment (aged group 5-14, percentage)35 30
28.8
28.4;
Sub-Saharan
26.4
Africa 25 20
19.1
18.8 %
16.1 15
14.8;
Asia and the
Pacific, 10
10.0
9.0;
Latin America
and the Caribbean 5
2000
2004
2008
Year 13

14. Magnitude of the problem
Sectoral distribution of working children, 2008

15. Practical Action ILO Conventions and Declaration:
ILO Minimum Age Convention No. 138, 1973
→ requires a national policy for the elimination of child labour
→ requires a specification of a minimum age
Ratified by: 156 of the 183 ILO member States
ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182, 1999
→ requires governments to take immediate and effective measures to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour as a priority (art. 1)
Ratified by: 173 of the ILO member States
ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work

16. The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
Practical Action
The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
Launched in 1992
Main objective: the progressive elimination of child labour
To be achieved through strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labour
IPEC is now working in nearly 90 countries and benefitting millions of children
IPEC employs internationally recognized labour standards and technical cooperation projects towards achievement of its objective
Tripartite cooperation with governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations is the cornerstone of national action against child labour and IPEC interventions
© G. Palazzo

17. The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
Practical Action
The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
In countries all over the world, IPEC inspires, guides and supports national and regional initiatives to eliminate child labour
The basis of its action is the political will and commitment of individual governments to address the problem
IPEC operates a phased and multi-sectoral strategy which motivates a broad alliance of partners to acknowledge and act against child labour
Sustainability is built in from the start through an emphasis on in-country ownership.
© G. Palazzo

18. Practical Action IPEC’s strategy: “top down” & “bottom up”
Working together with goverments, trade unions and employers to improve legislation, support national plans of action on child labour and strengthen the capacities of key players at the policy, planning and intervention levels
Creating awareness at all levels and mobilising alliances and partnerships
Mainstreaming child labour issues into national and global development frameworks
Demonstrating viable strategies for the prevention of child labour, withdrawal of children from work, the rehabilitation of former child labourers and ensuring their access to education
© G. Palazzo

19. Practical Action
Projects supporting direct interventions for at-risk children, child labourers, their families and communities, including:
Community mobilisation and awareness raising
Withdrawal and rehabilitation services
Provision of education (formal and non- formal) and vocational training
Economic empowerment of targeted families
Local child labour monitoring, involving the local community in identifying child labourers and linking them to appropriate services

20. Practical Action
Achieving the elimination of the worst forms of child labour by 2016 – the ILO’s three pronged strategy
Supporting national responses to child labour, in particular, through effective mainstreaming of child labour concerns in national development and policy framework
Deepening and strengthening the worldwide movement; and
Promoting further integration of child labour concerns within overall ILO policies

21. Practical Action
The 2010 ILO Global Report: Accelerating action against child labour
Child labour continues to decline, but progress is too slow and too uneven
Significant acceleration and upscaling of action is needed to achieve the 2016 goal
Critical policy areas: education, social protection, decent work for adults
The Hague 2010 Global Child Labour Conference – Roadmap adopted setting out priority actions for ways to accelerate action and to increase collaboration to achieve the 2016 goal