World Day Against Child Labour, 10 June 2011: "Warning! Children in hazardous work"
The ILO estimates that of the world’s 215 million child labourers, 115 million are involved in hazardous work, including 41 million girls and 74 million boys.
Hazardous work is among the worst forms of child labour. It is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. The highest concentration of hazardous child labour is in agriculture (59 %), where children may be exposed to toxic pesticides or fertilizers, use dangerous blades and tools, carry heavy loads, work on fishing boats at night or herd livestock in isolation.
The international community and ILO Member States have targeted hazardous work for elimination by 2016. At the Hague Global Child Labour Conference 2010, a Roadmap for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour was adopted to help achieve this goal.
This year the World Day Against Child Labour 2011 "Warning! Children in hazardous work - End child labour” will bring together national governments, employers’ organizations, trade unions, civil society and millions of children and adults throughout the world, to put a global spotlight on hazardous child labour and call for global, national and local level efforts against all forms of child labour , through education, social protection and strategies aimed at promoting decent and productive work for youth and adults.
On the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour, a FAO-ILO joint event will be held at FAO headquarters (10 June 2011, 10:00-11:00, Mexico Room - D211). The event will focus specifically on hazardous child labour in agriculture, as most hazardous child labour is found in crop production, forestry, livestock rearing, fisheries and aquaculture.
The event aims to raise awareness, especially within FAO, on child labour and the hazards and risks children face in undertaking various types of agricultural work. The discussion-based event will focus on how FAO can meet the challenge of addressing child labour in agriculture through its work.
For further information please contact Bernd Seiffert e-mail: [email protected]
Go to: Child Labour in agriculture