Building the commitment to reach a future without child labour in Jember, East Java

Child labour is found in almost every district in Indonesia, including in Jember, East Java where child labour can be found in various sectors such as in agriculture, including plantations, as domestic workers and in (other parts of) the informal economy such as street children. In addition, with a high rate of migration, Jember district is also vulnerable to child trafficking.

Press release | 31 March 2011

JEMBER (ILO News): Child labour remains one of the social problems faced by Indonesia. The National Child Labour Survey implemented by the Statistical Bureau (BPS) in 2009 revealed that around 4 million children are working and 1.7 million out of these children are in the category of child labour. Child labour is found in almost every district in Indonesia, including in Jember, East Java where child labour can be found in various sectors such as in agriculture, including plantations, as domestic workers and in (other parts of) the informal economy such as street children. In addition, with a high rate of migration, Jember district is also vulnerable to child trafficking.

To address these problems, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with the Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCC) are organizing a Future Search Conference from 31 March to 2 April 2001 in the Panorama Hotel, Jember, East Java. The Conference will be officially opened by the Officer-in-Charge of the Jember District, Mr Teddy Zarkasyi, and the Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia, Mr Peter van Rooij. The Conference is conducted by the ILO through its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).

The Conference is aimed to sensitize key stakeholders, including the mass media, on child labour related issues, particularly its worst forms, with a view to building strong and solid commitments from the district Government and civil society of Jember to tackle the worst forms of child labour in particular children working in plantations and trafficking.

The Conference also provides a forum for dialogue to exchange views and experiences, as well as to point the way forward for reaching a future without child labour in Jember district by establishing a District Action Committee on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

“Child labour related issues should be tackled through a concerted collaboration among relevant departments and organizations, including employers, unions and civil society. Thus, the Conference plays an important role to make child labour problem a joint responsibility by all relevant stakeholders and to place the issues at the heart of policy development of Jember district,” said Mr van Rooij.

During the Conference, a five-step procedure will be examined and applied: reviewing the past, exploring the present, creating an ideal future, identifying common ground and making an action plan. These five steps are intended to have participants share expectations and views on how to eliminate child labour. This will lead to building commitment among all and will result in the development of effective measures and action plans to eliminate child labour.

Around 50 participants from various departments, such as the District Manpower Office, District Education Office, District Social Affairs Office, District Development Planning Agency, Community Empowerment Office, together with representatives from the Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo), union confederations, academia, NGOs and mass media, will attend the Conference.

For further information please contact:

Ms Arum Ratnawati
National Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO-IPEC
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 122
Email

Mr Irfan Afandi
Local Project Assistant of the ILO-IPEC in Jember
Tel.: +0331 426 307
Mobile: +62813 1906 8857
Email


Ms Gita Lingga
Media Officer
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 115
Mobile: +62815 884 5833
Email