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The convention on the worst forms of child labor finally adopted unanimously ... after 21 years

2020-08-04T15:40:30.209Z


For the first time, a convention of the International Labor Organization has been signed by all of its 187 member states and territories.


It's historic. With its ratification by the Kingdom of Tonga on Tuesday, Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor became the first convention of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to be signed by all of its 187 member states and territories. . A process that will have taken ... twenty-one years!

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Adopted in June 1999 by the general conference of the ILO, this convention commits its signatories to “ take immediate and effective measures to ensure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor as a matter of urgency ”. The “ worst forms ” include in particular “ all forms of slavery or similar practices ” such as child trafficking or debt bondage; the prostitution of children or their use to produce pornographic material or performances; the use of children in illicit activities, including “ the production and trafficking of drugs ”, or in armed conflict; or even the "work that [...] is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of the child ”.

The members of the ILO ratifying the convention must monitor these reprehensible acts, prevent them, punish the culprits and allow the children who are victims to reintegrate into society, accompany them and provide them with an education. They must also “ take into account the special situation of girls ”.

21 years for global adoption

This convention has been gradually ratified by all the members of the ILO, since its entry into force in November 2000. Paris ratified it in September 2001, after other states such as Vietnam, the United States, 'Ukraine, Turkey or Yemen. Rome signed it in June 2000, Berlin in April 2002 and London in March 2000. Among the last signatories were notably Tuvalu in June 2019, a few months after Palau, Somalia in March 2014 and India in June 2017. In 2020, the only thing missing was the Kingdom of Tonga, which ratified it on Tuesday, more than twenty years after its adoption by the ILO. Note, however: the members of the ILO do not cover all the countries of the planet: North Korea is not one of them, as are Monaco, Andorra or Bhutan.

For ILO Director General Guy Rider, ratification by all states “ means that all children now enjoy legal protection against the worst forms of child labor. It reflects a global commitment that the worst forms of child labor ... have no place in our society ”. Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Sharan Burrow considers that “ child labor is a serious violation of fundamental rights and it is the responsibility of the ILO constituents and the international community to ensure that this convention is fully applied ”in practice.

The consequences of Covid-19 could reverse sixteen years of progress

In a statement, the ILO said that about 152 million children work in the world, including 73 million assigned to hazardous work. Almost three quarters of these children work in the fields to help their parents, in conditions often marked by poverty. The organization estimates that the incidence of child labor " fell by almost 40% " between 2000 and 2016, but that " progress has stalled in recent years, especially in the youngest age group. (5 to 11 years) and in certain geographical areas ”.

In addition, the ILO adds fears that the Covid-19 epidemic and its economic blasts completely reverse ” the progress made in recent years. These events could " lead to an increase in child labor for the first time in twenty years ", she worries. This is very bad news, as 2021 will be the international year for the elimination of child labor.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-08-04

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