The panel discussion will explore and discuss the findings of the ILO report “Issue paper on child labour and education exclusion among indigenous children”. It will be co-hosted by ILO FUNDAMENTALS and ILO GEDI, with the participation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

ILO issue paper

Building on earlier ILO research and policy guidance, the issue paper provides an updated picture of the child labour and schooling situation of indigenous children, with a view to informing policy interventions in the lead up to the 2025 target date for ending child labour. The paper was developed jointly by ILO FUNDAMENTALS and ILO GEDI with funding from United States Department of Labor.

The issue paper is based on an extensive literature review as well as on a series of focus group discussions conducted with organizations of indigenous peoples from Cambodia, Kenya, the Russian Federation,¹ Nepal and Tanzania. Quantitative data on the child labour prevalence and school attendance was also analysed for the limited number of countries where this data was available, namely Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama and Peru.

Purpose of the discussion

The evidence reviewed and consultations held for the issue paper make clear that child labour and education exclusion of indigenous children are driven in important part by broader violations of the rights of indigenous peoples enshrined in ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These violations are closely inter-related and mutually reinforcing and rooted in persisting discrimination and continuing patterns of subjugation, marginalization, dispossession, and exclusion.

The panel discussion will explore these findings and their relevance to tackling the twin challenges of child labour and educational marginalisation among indigenous children going forward.

Agenda

It will consist of brief welcoming remarks and a “setting the scene” presentation by the ILO, followed by interventions from the Special Rapporteur and a representative from the indigenous community and finally a concluding plenary discussion. The panel discussion will be in hybrid format – with both in-person and online participation – and will be of one hour in total duration.

The agenda is as follows:

Moderator: Ms Vera Paquete-Perdigão, Director, Governance and Tripartism Department, ILO

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¹The ILO did not provide any technical assistance, and the research was carried out before the Russian Federation's aggression towards Ukraine.