ILO - BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER N°. 5/2006
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Reduction in child labour worldwide
Child labour, especially its worst forms, is decreasing around the world, according to a prudent but optimistic ILO report entitled
"The end of child labour: Within reach" (available
here). The ILO adds that at the current rate of decline,
child labour in its worst forms could be a thing of the past within 10 years, provided the worldwide movement to eradicate the phenomenon continues.
According to this new report, the actual number of child labourers worldwide fell by 11% between 2000 and 2004, from 246 million to 218 million. The
number of children forced to carry out hazardous work fell by 26% to 126 million in 2004, with an even sharper decline amongst the youngest age groups.
Child labour fell most rapidly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The report was presented in Brussels in early May in the presence of the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel
and ILO Executive Director Kari Tapiola. It attributes the reduction in child labour to increased collective awareness and greater political will,
combined with concrete action, particularly in terms of tackling poverty and promoting education for all. The ILO's International Programme on the
Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), which helps to develop and implement national child labour policies, has helped around 5 million children over
the past decade. It has also had a major impact in terms of mobilising action and demonstrating that the elimination of child labour is a goal that
can be achieved. The report calls for more sustained effort at national level, involving employers' organisations, workers' organisations and governments.
A summary of the report is available
here. To read a press release about the report, please click
here.
International Labour Conference
The 95th session of the International Labour Conference opens in Geneva on 31 May. The main role of the Conference is to adopt internationally
recognised labour standards and to examine their application by signatory countries. Since 1919, the Conference has established itself as the top
international forum on global social and labour issues. A wide range of subjects will be tackled at this year's Conference, including the role of
the ILO in technical cooperation, changes in the employment relationship, health and safety at work (the aim being to adopt an instrument that
brings together all the existing ILO conventions on this issue) and the labour inspection situation worldwide. Delegates will also take a close
took at the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories.
To view the Conference agenda and the reports to be submitted, please
click here.
ILO helps to improve situation of housemaids in Lebanon
Since 1973, over 100,000 women have migrated from poor countries to work behind the closed doors of their Lebanese employers' homes. As in many
other countries, these women are not protected by local laws. They are often subject to maltreatment in the form of non-payment of salaries and in
some cases mental, physical and sexual abuse. For years now, the ILO Regional Office for the Arab States in Beirut has been calling for the rights
of migrant domestic workers to be acknowledged by the region's governments.
The ILO's efforts are beginning to pay off: at the request of the Lebanese Ministry of Labour, it recently organised a national workshop to raise
awareness about the plight of female migrant domestic workers and identified the measures needed to address the difficulties they face. Key
recommendations from the workshop include introducing a standardised employment contract for all domestic workers and providing migrant domestic
workers with booklets informing them of their rights. Following up on the workshop, the Lebanese Ministry of Labour issued a decree establishing
a high-level national steering committee to review local labour law, draw up a model contract for domestic workers and produce a "rights and
responsibilities booklet" for this category of workers by the end of May.
Click here to read an ILO article about this positive development
in Lebanon.
Conference on the integration of migrant workers
The integration of migrant workers is a major challenge that needs to be addressed to ensure social cohesion and economic progress in Europe.
The ILO has considerable experience with the problems of discrimination and potential solutions, mainly via decent work. Over the past two years,
the ILO has taken part in larger scale research funded by the European Union into integration indicators, successful experiences in various
countries and the creation of social partner networks on migration-related issues. The ILO will hold a conference in Brussels on 6-7 June to
review this research and examine what action can be taken in the future to ensure better integration of migrants in Europe. A key topic will be the
new Draft ILO Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration, a series of principles and guidelines for a rights-based approach to labour migration.
Click here to view the text of the framework.
Did you know?
The ILO's WISE (Work Improvement in Small Enterprises) programme aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improve working conditions
and productivity by using simple, efficient and affordable techniques that benefit both employers and workers. It has created a whole range of tools
to help them achieve this and has contributed to improvements in SMEs in over 20 countries. Full details of this programme are available on the ILO site (
click here).
Better organised informal economy
The ILO's Syndicoop programme has just published a guidebook to help trade unions and cooperatives better organise workers in the informal
economy. The guidebook, entitled "Let’s organize!" (available
here), is the result of collaboration between the ILO, the
International Co-operative Alliance and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
New publications
The following recent ILO publication may be of special interest to our readers:
Social Dialogue and Poverty Reduction Strategies
By Graeme J. Buckley and Giuseppe Casale
2006; 562 pp; ISBN 92-2-117541-3; €63
Beginning with a review of the essential role played by labour standards and good employment administration in tackling poverty, this guide moves
on to examine the ILO's experience in national poverty reduction processes in Cambodia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Tanzania. It provides a
practical illustration of the challenges and opportunities facing the ILO and its partners in trying to influence national poverty reduction
strategies. It also stresses the importance of integrating gender equality and social dialogue into these strategies.
Click here to order a copy of the study.
Scheduled meetings
Please
click here for a list of ILO meetings scheduled for 2006 and 2007.
Contact us
For more information on the ILO's activities, please contact the :
ILO Brussels
Rue Aimé Smekens 40
B -1030 Brussels
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 02 736 59 42
Fax: +32.02 735 48 25
E-mail: brussels@ilo.org
Website : www.ilo.org/brussels
