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Uniting Food, Farm and Hotel Workers World-Wide


Eliminating child labour in agriculture new global target

Posted to the IUF website 15-Nov-2006

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The IUF welcomes the decision of the ILO to dedicate next year's World Day of Action Against Child Labour (WDAACL)to agriculture (June 12, 2007). The decision comes after a report from the ILO Director General found that although progress to eliminate worst forms of child labour was being made in many regions and sectors - agriculture was not among them. The report says that because of the nature of agriculture, "large number of working children, hazardous nature, lack of regulation, invisibility and denial of edication..agriculture should be a priority sector for the elimination of child labour, but this is not the case.."

The International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour confirms that although 70% of all child labour takes place in agriculture only 15% of its projects and action programmes have been in the sector. IPEC has already mobilised other UN agencies involved in agriculture to work together to establish a comprenhensive policy framework within which to co-operate on elimination of child labour in the sector. IUF has agreed to be part of this initiative and both the WDAACL and the UN comprenhensive approach will be discussed at the forthcoming world conference of the Agricultural Workers Trade Group (Seville, December 11-13, 2006).

IPEC has also produced a number of useful publications aimed at agriculture:
1. Tackling hazardous child labour in agriculture: Guidance on policy and practice 5 Guidebooks in CD format plus a written User Guide
available online here
.

2. Training resource pack on elimination of hazardous child labour in agriculture Grassroots training of trainers material for farmers, farm workers etc
available online here
.