International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
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International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)

Syrian refugees in Jordan
High risk of child labour for Syrian refugees in Jordan
In response to the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan, the ILO has identified child labour as a priority issue and Government says that child labour has doubled nationwide – to 60,000 – since the refugee influx began in 2011.
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eLearning course
ILO launches FREE eLearning course on eliminating the worst forms of child labour
The course offers policy makers and practitioners a series of tools and learning techniques to address the worst forms of child labour, and can be completed anywhere and at one's own pace.
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Country survey
One in ten Vietnamese youngsters aged 5-17 in child labour
The first national data show that 1.75 million Vietnamese children are child workers. The rate of child labour in Viet Nam is lower than the world's average and very close to the regional figure.
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Learn more
Child Labour Platform: Promoting sustainable enterprises free from child labour
A win-win option for businesses and communities
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Learn more
Of 17.2 million child domestic workers, 67.1% are girls and 65.1% are below 14 years
For the second time, the ILO has produced global estimates of children in domestic work based on data from national household surveys.
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Forced and Child Labour
Why definitions matter
Definitions are important in developing reliable data and in guiding action on forced and child labour. They mean we can be held accountable for our efforts to generate change in the name of those who are the most exploited in the world today.
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Facts and figures

  • Global number of children in child labour has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (down from 171 million in 2000).
  • Asia and the Pacific still has the largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest incidence of child labour (59 million, over 21%).
  • There are 13 million (8.8%) of children in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East and North Africa there are 9.2 million (8.4%).
  • Agriculture remains by far the most important sector where child labourers can be found (98 million, or 59%), but the problems are not negligible in services (54 million) and industry (12 million) – mostly in the informal economy.
  • Child labour among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25% for boys.
Source: Marking progress against child labour - Global estimates and trends 2000-2012 (ILO-IPEC, 2013).

News

  1. Somalia ratifies ILO Convention No. 182

    25 March 2014

  2. Syrian Child Labour in Jordan

    25 March 2014

  3. Somalia ratifies three fundamental ILO Conventions

    20 March 2014

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Events

  1. Jordan begins the national rollout of coordination efforts to combat child labour

    18 March 2014, Various Locations, Jordan

  2. Concert dedicated to the struggle against child labour

    4 December 2013, Caja de Música, Palacio de Cibeles, Centro, Madrid - 8 p.m.

  3. Launch of the “Red Card to Child Labour Campaign" in Japan

    28 November 2013, Tokyo, World Bank Tokyo Development Learning Center, 16:30-19:00 (Tokyo time)

  4. Launch of national action plan to combat child labour

    7 November 2013, Baabda Presidential Palace, Lebanon

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Just released

  1. World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) 2014: Extend social protection, combat child labour!

    24 April 2014

  2. eLearning course on the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016

    08 April 2014

    This training tool is an eLearning course on eliminating the worst forms of child labour, and is aimed at policy makers and practitioners. The course offers ILO stakeholders 7 interrelated modules that can be completed anywhere and at one`s own pace.

  3. Findings of the follow-up study on former child labourers trained on entrepreneurship and apprenticeship - The cases of Kisumu and Nairobi cities, Kenya

    25 March 2014

    This study sought to find out if there was any added advantage that entrepreneurship skills training had on the trainees and it compares post training progression between trainees who had received entrepreneurship training to those who in addition received business start-up kit.

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Highlights

  1. Conference

    III Global Conference on Child Labour - Brasilia, 8-10 October 2013

    The ILO will participate in the III Global Conference on Child Labour which will bring together representatives from government, social partners, civil society, regional and international organizations to share policies and experiences in the global fight against child labour.

    The Conference – organized by the Brazilian Government – will be an opportunity to reflect on the progress made since the previous global conference was held in The Hague in 2010, and to discuss ways to accelerate global efforts against child labour – especially its worst forms.

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