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ILO convention on child labour to come into force on Nov 19

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, Nov. 17

THE International Labour Organisation's convention against the worst forms of child labour comes into effect as international law on November 19 as a grand finale to the global campaign to end this outrageous practice.

With more than 25 per cent of the ILO's 175-member States already formal signatories to the worst forms of child labour convention, its coming into force gives the authorities in these countries to put in place immediate and effective action to prohibit and eliminate these forms of child labour.

The worst forms of child labour convention covers prostitution, pornography, forced recruitment for use in armed conflict and use of children in illicit or hazardous activities for all those under 18 years of age.

What is notable is that ILO members that have not yet ratified this convention must, without being bound by each and every one of its provisions, still gear their policies towards the effective abolition of child labour.

All member States of the ILO would also be legally bound to report annually to the ILO on their promotional efforts about the worst forms of child labour, as well as child labour in general as defined under the Organisation's other labour standard on chi ld labour, the Minimum Age Convention.

``This is a clear demonstration of the rapidly growing movement to eradicate as quickly as possible the most abusive exploitation of children,'' the ILO Director-General, Mr Juan Somavia, said, adding that ``with Convention No. 182, the world is declarin g that all these forms of child labour are morally abhorrent in any society, whatever its developmental stage or cultural traditions''.

The ILO estimates that some 250 million children aged 5-14 are victims of child labour around the world, half of them working full time. Of these, 10 million are caught in the worst forms. Convention No. 182 defines the worst forms of child labour as sla very, debt bondage, prostitution, pornography, forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, use of children in drug trafficking and other illicit activities and all other work harmful or hazardous to the heath, safety or moral of girls and b oys under 18 years of age.

The Convention was adopted unanimously by the ILO on June 17, 1999. It is important to differentiate between the worst forms of child labour convention and the ILO's other core convention on child labour, the Minimum Age Convention.

This convention was adopted by the ILO Conference in 1973 and entered into force in 1976 which aimed at overall abolition of child labour, rather than focusing on its worst forms and stipulates that the minimum age for admission to employment should not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling.

ILO said since the adoption of Convention No. 182, there has been a dramatic spurt in activity against child labour in its worst forms. For instance, the number of countries working with the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labou r (IPEC) has increased dramatically.

In June 1999, IPEC had 37 participating countries which had signed a memorandum of understanding and about 30 countries involved in the programme in a less formal way. Now 51 countries have signed the MoU and 23 are countries associated with IPEC.