GENEVA (ILO News) - The world has moved at a record pace in ratifying an international convention that calls for immediate action to outlaw the worst forms of child labour, says the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The ILO announced today that Estonia had become the latest member State to ratify its Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, bringing the number of ratifications for the international treaty banning the most abusive, exploitative forms of child labour to 100. The ILO has 175 member States.
ILO Convention No. 182 was unanimously adopted two years ago by the International Labour Conference, on 17 June 1999. It first came into force on 19 November 2000 - one year after gaining ratifications from two Member States.
"This historic milestone shows beyond a doubt that the world is uniting to combat the most abusive forms of child labour," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "The world is now closer to achieving the dream of stamping out the worst forms of child labour and giving millions of children a chance to have a better life".
The Director of the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, Frans Roselaers added that IPEC's campaign for Convention 182, which has achieved the fastest ratification pace of any convention in the ILO's 82-year history, hopes to achieve the near-universal ratification by the end of the year 2003.
Under the Convention, the worst forms of child labour includes:
- Slavery and practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, forced or compulsory labour, debt bondage and serfdom;
- Child prostitution or child pornography;
- Use of children in illegal activities, such as drug trafficking;
- Work which is likely to jeopardize the health, safety or morals of children.
The Convention requires ratifying countries to apply the Convention to children under 18 - even where national legislation defines childhood as ending earlier. It also calls on states to take action to prohibit and immediately eliminate the worst forms of child labor; designate monitoring mechanisms; adopt action programmes; ensure effective enforcement; take measures for prevention, removal, rehabilitation and social reintegration of child workers; and take account of the special situation of girls.
Member States must also report regularly to the ILO regarding the application of the Convention and be accountable for allegations of violations. The ILO is assisting ratified countries to fulfill their obligations through IPEC, which works in 70 countries to withdraw children from work, provide them with education and rehabilitation, and provide their families with economic alternatives.
Ratifications of Worst Forms of Child Labour
Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
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Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belize Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile Costa Rica Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador |
El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Estonia Finland France Gabon Gambia Ghana Guyana Hungary Iceland Indonesia Iraq Ireland Italy Japan Jordan Kenya Republic of Korea Kuwait Lebanon Lesotho Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Luxembourg Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritius Mexico Mongolia Morocco Namibia New Zealand Nicaragua |
Niger Norway Oman Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Philippines Portugal Qatar Romania Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia San Marino Senegal Seychelles Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Togo Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Viet Nam Yemen Zimbabwe |
For more information, contact:
Mr. Robert SanGeorge, tel: 4122/799-6074
Ms. Asha d'Souza, tel: 4122/799-6845
Ms. Donatella Montaldo, tel: 4122/799-6676
E-mail enquiries: childlabour@ilo.org
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