Bishkek (ILO News) – The outcomes of the campaign conducted under the slogan “Youth Say Yes” (“Zhashtar koldoit”) were summarized on January 25 in Bishkek.

The campaign was organized by the State Agency for Youth, Fitness and Sports, State Migration Service under the Kyrgyz Government, and over 30 youth organisations in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Organisation for Migration (IOM)/UN Migration Agency, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), UN Women/UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and the OECD Programme Office in Bishkek. The initiative was funded by the European Union and other donors.

At workshops delivered in the course of the campaign, the International Labour Organisation introduced the youth activists and government representatives to the principal concepts related to child labour and forced labour. In addition, the activists were made aware of the 50 for Freedom Global Campaign conducted under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development of Kyrgyzstan and supported by the ILO to promote ratification of the ILO Protocol on Forced Labour.

As a result, over 200 activists joined the campaign and signed a petition to support ratification of the Protocol.

As noted by Altynai Omurbekova, Deputy Chairman of the Kyrgyz Government for social issues, “indicators that signal forced labour are still very modest, this phenomenon is often hidden. For this reason, the Government will closely monitor the issue”.

“I would like to invite the Government to examine the 2014 ILO Protocol on Forced Labour to ILO Forced Labour Convention No. 29, a relevant international labour law instrument. The Protocol encourages governments to take a number of steps to prevent and eliminate forced labour and trafficking in persons through strengthening labour inspections and amending the legislation to make it applicable to those employed in different economic sectors”, said Ozonnia Ojielo, UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan.

“The purpose of the ILO’s involvement in the 100 Days Against Trafficking in Persons National Campaign was to make the youth activists aware of the worst forms of child labour, labour exploitation and forced labour, so that the campaign is more meaningful and effective”, said Amina Kurbanova, ILO Project Coordinator.