World Day Against Child Labour 2006: The End of Child Labour: Together we can do it!

The World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL), which is observed worldwide around the 12th June every year, is intended to serve as a catalyst for the growing worldwide movement against child labour. The WDACL has often focused on one of the “Worst Forms of Child labour” listed in Convention No.182, starting with the Unconditional Worst Forms, such as child trafficking. This was then followed by child domestic work and then child labour in mining last year. This year the event is focussed on the findings of the new ILO global report on child labour. The WDACL is an opportunity to reflect on the findings of the new ILO global report “The end of child labour: within reach” which was released on 4 May 2006, and will serve as the pinnacle background document for the debate on the 9th of June. This second Global Report documents the fact that there has been a major shift in the progress of the movement to end child labour. For the first time it can be documented that there is a world-wide decrease in child labour, with the worst forms of child labour decreasing most significantly. The Report reviews the ways in which this has been achieved – broadly speaking, the international community now understands the policies that have to be put into place, and is helping countries make them work. Furthermore, national ownership from developing countries in combating child labour and creating concrete time bound plans of action is now a priority. It is clear that countries do not have to wait until they become rich to eliminate child labour. While economic progress is important, putting the right policies into place matters at least as much.