World Day Against Child Labour

Child Labour in Agriculture  

Geneva, Switzerland, 12 June 2007

Distinguished Ministers and Ambassadors,
Honourable Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here today at ILO and to join you in celebrating the World Day Against Child Labour. Today marks a very important event – it is the first time that FAO is formally commemorating this day because, for the first time, the focus this year is on child labour in agriculture.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s event is a call for awareness and for action. It is a call on behalf of those who can not speak for themselves, the over 132 million children between 5 and 14 years of age who work each day in farming, fishing and forestry, or those who are involved in other agricultural activities.

Children are part of our families, and family agriculture is the backbone of the economy of many developing countries. But child labour is not the same thing as helping in the family with household chores, which is an important part of a child’s education and upbringing. Child labour is work that exploits and abuses children; it is work that harms children’s well-being and hinders their education, development and future livelihoods.

Of particular concern to FAO is the worst form of child labour: agricultural work which is unconditional or hazardous and can harm the safety, health and moral wellbeing of children. Common examples in agriculture, fisheries and forestry include children working with sharp tools, dangerous machinery and poisonous pesticides and chemicals, children carrying heavy loads, climbing high trees or diving deep into the ocean to untangle nets, or simply working long hours while school is in session.

All these tasks can harm a child’s health and physical and mental development. And they can lock a child into poverty. Some 70 percent of child labour worldwide is found in agriculture, with many children engaged in forced and hazardous activities – this is totally unacceptable.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you may all know, FAO’s mission is to fight against hunger and poverty and to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). What many of us may not have realized, however, is that the success of this mission depends also on the elimination of child labour in agriculture. Working children bring small amounts of much-needed income to their families, but this money comes at a significant long-term cost. If children are unable to attend school, they will not only be uneducated as adults, but also poor. If they are harmed by exposure to hazardous chemicals, dangerous tools or work conditions, they may even lose their lives. For instance, each year, at least 22,000 children lose their lives while working, and the number of those who suffer injuries, illness, or other harm is much higher. We must fight poverty and hunger to eliminate child labour.

FAO has long been striving to support agriculture that is both economically profitable and harmless to the environmental. But FAO is also working to support agriculture that is socially just. By developing labour-saving technologies, training workers on the safe use and disposal of pesticides, strengthening producers and workers organizations, supporting junior farmer field and life schools, encouraging school feeding and education for rural people and promoting safety at sea, FAO helps to foster a healthier, more decent, more aware and more equitable work environment for farmers, fishermen and forest users and a better life for their children.

Much of FAO’s work, therefore, brings significant contributions to the struggle against child labour in agriculture. FAO’s new programme on rural employment, to be implemented under the leadership of the newly established Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division, is a reflection of the Organization’s commitment to fostering just and decent work conditions for all.

Today, FAO expressed its commitment to the fight against child labour by signing the Interagency Declaration of Intent on Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture, together with the ILO, IFAD, IFPRI representing the CGIAR, the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) representing farmers/employers and their organizations, and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) representing workers and their organizations. The aim of the Declaration is to launch an international partnership for cooperation on child labour in agriculture among these important international organizations.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The significant decline in child labour globally, and in most regions, provides grounds for hope. But this is no time for complacency. Agriculture is the sector with the lowest rate of decrease, and in Africa, where agriculture is the dominant economic activity, child labour is on the rise. Now is the time for all partners to join forces to eliminate child labour in agriculture, once and for all.

Let today be a milestone, marking the beginning of our joint effort to give back to children their childhood. Let us work together to break the cycle of poverty and give children the opportunity for a bright future in which their own children will be free from the worst forms of labour, child labour.

Thank you for your kind attention

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