GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) is to launch a bold new initiative on Tuesday, 12 June aimed at greatly accelerating the removal of millions of children from the most abusive forms of child labour.

The initiative - starting first in Tanzania, Nepal and El Salvador - involves intensified efforts aimed at ending the worst forms of child labour, in participating countries, in 10 years or less.

The effort, known as the "Time-Bound Programmes", is a major step to implement ILO Convention No. 182, adopted unanimously by the International Labour Conference in 1999, to ban the worst forms of child labour.

"It is difficult to imagine that just over a decade ago few voices were raised against child labour... The fight against child labour now commands global attention and solidarity. And today we are targeting the eradication of its worst forms within a decade or less country by country, with international support," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.

The Time-Bound Programmes approach in the three countries will focus on eliminating the use of children in situations such as scavenging at garbage dumps, portering, mining, domestic work, bonded labour, commercial agriculture, fishing, commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking on children. Several other countries are expected to join the initiative during the next two years.

The ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) is coordinating the effort. Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa is to address a special session of the ILO's annual conference where the initiative is being formally launched. Also scheduled to speak at the session are: German Labour Minister Walter Riester; Salvadoran Labour Minister Jorge Nieto Menendez; United States Deputy-Secretary of Labour D. Cameron Findley and Ambassador Shambhu Ram Sinkhada of Nepal.

The United States Government is the largest donor to IPEC and has provided initial funds for startup of the Time-Bound Programmes in the three countries. The German Government was the founding donor for IPEC in 1992. IPEC is currently supported by some 25 donors and operates programmes in more than 70 countries.

"Make no mistake about it: the commitment marked by this event signals that it is not business as usual," said Mr. Somavia. He also called for universal ratification of Convention No.182, "so that the Governments of the world are seen to speak with one voice." In just two years, the Convention has been ratified by some 80 countries, which is the fastest pace of ratification for any Convention in the ILO's 82-year history.

A comprehensive information kit is available on the Time-Bound Programme strategy. It includes a brochure, country profiles on child labour in El Salvador, Nepal and Tanzania, and feature stories on ex-child labourers in each of the three countries.

An A-roll video news release, 2 minutes, 44 seconds, accompanied by five minutes of B-roll footage, is available in Betacam-SP PAL. The A-roll and B-roll include original footage were shot within the last two months in El Salvador, Nepal and Tanzania.

For more information, please contact Robert SanGeorge, IPEC Campaign Manager in Geneva at: Tel.: +4122/799-6074, e-mail: childlabour@ilo.org, or the ILO Department of Communication, tel.: +4122/799-7912.