GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlighted the impact of pesticides exposure on child labourers in agriculture during an international conference which was held in Geneva on Wednesday, 22 June 2011.
The panel on “Vulnerable groups and pesticides exposure: joining forces to reduce hazardous child labour in agriculture” is being held as part of the Fifth Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention taking place this week.
The panel discussion will take place between 13:00 and 15:00, at the Centre International de Conference (CICG), Room III – ground floor, in Geneva. Media are invited to attend the discussion, but will have to present a UN press accreditation badge to access the site.
Focusing on the theme – hazardous child labour in agriculture – a panel of agriculture, labour and health experts from a number of UN Agencies and other stakeholders will identify synergies between initiatives tackling child labour and the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention.
According to the ILO, about 60 percent of the estimated 215 million child labourers worldwide work in agriculture, which represents one of the three most dangerous sectors to work in at any age.
The joint ILO-FAO side event aims at raising awareness on hazardous child labour in agriculture, particularly with regard to the threat posed by pesticides and children’s greater vulnerability to exposure. The panellists will also make proposals on how to collect data on exposure to toxic chemicals to vulnerable groups, as an essential tool for policy-making process and legislative actions.
The journalists interested in covering this side event may contact Ms. Paola Termine, ILO Technical Specialist on Child Labour in Agriculture, (termine@ilo.org) – Tel: +41 22 799 8069 or ILO Department of Communication and Public Information, Tel: +41 22 799 7912, email communication@ilo.org.
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