ABOUT IPEC ASIA

Established in 1992 as a technical cooperation programme of the International Labour Organization (ILO), IPEC is now active in 60 countries, including 13 in Asia: Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Mongolia and China (Yunnan province) in South East and East Asia and India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka in South Asia.

Under the aim of IPEC, to work towards the progressive elimination of child labour, IPEC responses in Asia in these following forms: global activities, country programmes, country-base sectoral programmes, subregional programmes and time-bound programmes.

IPEC support is given within the framework of international labour standards, particularly Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999 (No.182) and the Convention on Minimum Age, 1973 (No.138). In collaboration with the local partner organizations IPEC is developing policies and plans of action which aim at preventing child labour, withdrawing children from hazardous work, providing alternatives and improving the working conditions in non-hazardous and non-exploitative work for older children as a transitional measure towards the elimination of child labour.

Key interventions include advocacy and awareness raising, capacity building of government and non-governmental partners, the provision of vocational training and education to the victims and the provision of economic alternatives to the families of those at risk.

In ILO-IPEC's view the best way to strengthen the capacity of partner organizations is to apply a phase and multi-sectoral strategy, consist of the following steps:

• Motivating a broad alliance of partners to acknowledge and act against child labour.
• Carrying out a situational analysis to find out about child labour problems in a country.
• Assisting with developing and implementing national policies on child labour problems.
• Strengthening existing organizations and setting up institutional mechanisms.
• Creating awareness on the problem nationwide, in communities and workplaces.
• Promoting the development and application of protective legislation.
• Supporting direct action with (potential) child workers for demonstration purposes.
• Replicating and expanding successful projects into the programmes of partners.
• Mainstreaming child labour issues into socio-economic policies, programmes and budgets.

• To strengthen information bases on child labour including: development of innovative research methods; systematic data collection on worst forms; continuous analysis and documentation of trends; identification of successful intervention modals and information dissemination and advocacy.
• To strengthen IPEC Country strategies including: increase programme effectiveness and impact; generate greater integration and coherence; review and adjust national plan; strengthen legal framework and establish time-bound programmes.
• To strengthen IPEC partnership including: build capacity of partner organizations; mainstream in government policies and budgets; integrate tripartite partners and private sector; coordinate with other key players (ADB/WB).

• Government
• NGOs, People's organizations
• Universities, media
• Teachers and their organization
• Workers' organization
• Employers' organization

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Updated by CHW. Approved by AAM. Last update: 17 August 2001.