JAKARTA (ILO News): Since early 2000, there have been important developments in the efforts to eliminate child labour in Indonesia. Child labour and, in particular, the need to tackle the Worst Forms of Child Labour, is now integrated into many key policy statements and in various local-level policies and programmes. Progress has also been made in achieving the Government’s target of nine years of basic education for all children, an important step towards the elimination of child labour. Another important breakthrough is the inclusion of the elimination of child labour as one of the objectives of Indonesia’s conditional cash transfer programme (CCT) Program Keluarga Harapan - PKH).

Despite the progress that has been made, the issue of child labour remains significant in Indonesia. A national child labour survey conducted by The Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics in cooperation with ILO in August 2009 revealed that around 4 million children aged between 5 and 17 years are economically active, and 1,7 million of these children can be categorized as child labourers.

Therefore, as part of an effort to facilitate the elimination on child labour, the ILO Country Office Jakarta, in collaboration with JARAK, a national NGO network, will conduct a national workshop on child labour in order to review the progress that has been made in Indonesia in combating child labour and to identify further actions to be taken. This national workshop is conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Manpower & Transmigration and the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS). The national workshop on Elimination of Child Labour: “Reviewing the Current Status and Planning for the Future,” will be held on Monday-Tuesday, 5th-6th July 2010, Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta.

Some important issues related to the acceleration of the elimination of child labour in Indonesia such as strengthening law enforcement, child labour elimination programme budgeting and reinforcing coordination will be discussed during the workshop. The workshop is organized in conjunction with the commemoration of the World Day Against Child Labour 0n 12 June. Coinciding with the start of the football world cup, the theme for this year’s commemoration is “Go for the Goal: End Child Labour”. The World Day highlighted the urgent need for national and international steps to accelerate action against child labour.

The World Day Against Child Labour is also celebrated in several other provinces in Indonesia. The ILO in collaboration with local partners held a series of activities and workshops in Manokwari-West Papua, Jayapura-Papua, on 29 and 30 June, the celebration will continue in Aceh on 7 and 8 July, and be closed with various activities such as rallies, workshops, and the opening of a children’s center in Ambon from 13 to 15 July.

The website on the World Day against Child Labour can be found online at:

/ipec/Campaignandadvocacy/WDACL/WorldDay2010/lang--en/index.htm

World Day events were held in more than 60 countries, involving government, employers, workers and UN, non-governmental and civil society organizations. Events ranged from high level policy debates, to football matches and other sporting activities, public debates, media events, awareness-raising campaigns, cultural performances and other public activities.

For further information on World Day against Child Labour event in Indonesia, please contact:

Arum Ratnawati
national project Director of the ILO’s Child Labour Programme
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 122
Email

Dyah Larasati
national Programme Officer of the ILO’s Education and Skills Training Programme
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 139
Mobile: +62815 8695 6293
Email

Josephine Imelda
Communications Assistant
ILO Office Jakarta
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext.115
Email