GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Office (ILO) has launched a new Web movie (in 12 languages) featuring the plight of more than 200 million child labourers worldwide, but also signs of hope showing that the end of child labour is within our reach. The ILO is committed to helping countries lift all children out of the worst forms of child labour by 2016.
According to a recent ILO report, there are now 28 million fewer child labourers than four years ago but millions more still need help to live as children again. The number of child labourers worldwide fell by 11 per cent between 2000 and 2004, from 246 million to 218 million. What's more, the number of children aged 5-17 trapped in hazardous work decreased by 26 per cent, to reach 126 million in 2004 as opposed to 171 million in 2000.
The ILO attributes the reduction in child labour to increased political will and awareness and concrete action, particularly in the field of poverty reduction and mass education that has encouraged a worldwide movement against child labour.
Through its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), the world's largest programme dedicated to the eradication of child labour, the ILO assists in building national capacity to deal with child labour and provides policy advice. In addition, through direct action, the Programme over the past decade has reached some 5 million children. These initiatives have played a significant catalytic role, both in mobilizing action and demonstrating how child labour can be eliminated. Since its start in 1992, IPEC has spent US$350 million, with annual expenditure now running at US$50-60 million.
Over the last five years, IPEC has helped several countries put in place appropriate time-bound measures to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. The report calls on all member States that haven't done so yet to adopt time-bound plans by 2008. More than 30 member States of the ILO have already set time-bound targets with a similar or even earlier target date than 2016 to abolish the worst forms of child labour.
Despite considerable progress in the fight against child labour, important challenges remain, particularly in agriculture, where seven out of ten child labourers work. Other challenges include addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on child labour, and building stronger links between child labour and youth employment concerns.
"In this 21st century, no child should be brutalized by exploitation or be placed in hazardous work", says ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "No child should be denied access to education. No child should have to slave for his or her survival. Let's keep up the momentum. Let's resolve to keep investing in the struggle for the right of all children to their childhood".
Please take the time to click on this link to the movie and see why millions of children need your help and ours. www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/wdacl/index.htm