Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (ILO News) The ILO, in collaboration with UNICEF and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, held a training for government officials and practitioners on the Child Labour Monitoring System (CLMS), which identifies vulnerable children at risk of or already in child labour and refers them to the relevant actors to receive the needed support.

The training and the monitoring system are part of efforts to tackle the worst forms of child labour in Iraq - with the support of the European Regional Development and Protection Programme for Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq (RDPP II)  - a joint European initiative supported by the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, Ireland and Switzerland.

Facilitated by the Kurdistan Save the Children, one of ILO’s implementing partners in Iraq, the training is the first in a series of similar trainings planned for the coming months. It was attended by Government officials, including Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Kurdistan Region Zakia Sayed Salih.

Building on the lessons learned in piloting the system in targeted governorates over the past year, in addition to ILO’s expertise in tackling child labour, the training aimed to build partners’ capacities in adopting and implementing the system to support children across the country.

“The Child Labour Monitoring System is critical in supporting the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and partners to tackle the worst forms of child labour and ensures that vulnerable children receive the needed support in a coordinated manner,” said Maha Kattaa, ILO Country Coordinator in Iraq.

Over 200 officials and practitioners will be targeted through these trainings.