Youth-orientated version of Convention No. 182

Introduction

2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the landmark ILO Convention No. 182, which calls for urgent action to abolish the worst forms of child labour. These web-pages have been developed in order to make Convention No. 182 easier to understand and to highlight the 10th anniversary of the Convention.

Navigate these pages to find out more about Convention No. 182, the International Labour Organization, the issue of child labour, and access the resources and ideas section to increase your awareness and encourage others to take action. Gaining a better understanding of this particular Convention makes us aware that child labour is a violation of human rights hindering children’s development and that action must be taken to combat this problem.

The 12th of June, which is the World Day Against Child Labour, offers an opportunity to actively explore this issue, run your own activities and involve others. Remember though, you can take action all year round and share your activities on the 12 to 12 Community Portal.

Background information: ILO Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour

A Convention is an international agreement between countries. These are usually developed by the United Nations or other international organizations. Governments that ratify Conventions are obliged to incorporate them into their own laws and to make sure that these laws are applied and respected.

Convention No. 182 was developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Find out more about child labour in the Taking action and useful resources section. The ILO aims to progressively eliminate all forms of child labour while Convention No. 182 specifically focuses on the need to take immediate action to eliminate the worst forms, such as: slavery; trafficking; the use of children in armed conflict; the use of a child for prostitution; drug trafficking and dangerous work. Read more in the Worst forms of child labour section.

Convention No. 182 was adopted in 1999 and has been ratified by 169 countries so far. It is important that countries both ratify the Convention, and take positive action to both end child labour and support the rehabilitation and education of former child labourers.

In this section:

The pictures on this page come from the GenevaWorld Association exhibition “Children’s views of child labour”. Pictures on the top of this page were drawn by Nina, 15 yrs, Poland; Pimchanok, 10 yrs, Thailand; Sara, 15 yrs, Nicaragua; Luis Pedro, 13 yrs, Guatemala. © GenevaWorld.