ILO AND CHILD LABOUR

CONTENTS

I Introduction
a. International labour organization.
b. Child and child labour

II Body
a. Forms of child labor
*Sexual exploitation
*Child soldiers
*Agriculture
b. ILO and Child rights
*world analysis
*In-Depth analysis
c. Difficulties faced by ILO

III Conclusion
* Ways to eradicate child labour
 INTRODUCTION
Let us start with the great words of Dr.SEUSS “ A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION(ILO) is United Nations agency whose man-
date is to advance social justice and promote decent work by setting international labour stan-
dards. It was the first specialized agency of the UN. The ILO. has 187 member states: 186 of the
193 UN member states plus the Cook Islands are members of the ILO. The International Labour
Organization helps to develop a system of international labour standards aimed at promoting op-
portunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom,
equity, security and dignity.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE

The ILO organizes once a year the International Labour Conference in Geneva to set the broad
policies of the ILO, including conventions and recommendations.Also known as the "in-
ternational parliament of labour", the conference makes decisions about the ILO's general policy,
work program and budget and also elects the Governing Body.Each member state is represented
by a delegation: two government delegates, an employer delegate, a worker delegate and their
respective advisers. All of them have individual voting rights and all votes are equal, regardless
the population of the delegate's member State. The employer and worker delegates are normally
chosen in agreement with the most representative national organizations of employers and work-
ers. Usually, the workers and employers' delegates coordinate their voting. All delegates have the
same rights and are not required to vote in blocs.

There are multiple conventions for the betterment for children.Through July 2018, the ILO had
adopted 189 conventions. If these conventions are ratified by enough governments, they come in
force. However, ILO conventions are considered international labour standards regardless of rati-
fication. When a convention comes into force, it creates a legal obligation for ratifying nations to
apply its provisions.Every year the International Labour Conference's Committee on the Applica-
tion of Standards examines a number of alleged breaches of international labour standards. Gov-
ernments are required to submit reports detailing there compliance with the obligations of the
conventions they have ratified. Conventions that have not been ratified by member states have
the same legal force as recommendations.
Minimum Age Convention,1973(No.138) - !
This fundamental convention sets the general minimum age for admission to employment or
work at 15 years (13 for light work) and the minimum age for hazardous work at 18 (16 under
certain strict conditions). It provides for the possibility of initially setting the general minimum
age at 14 (12 for light work) where the economy and educational facilities are insufficiently de-
veloped.
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention,1999(No.182) -!
This fundamental convention defines as a "child" a person under 18 years of age. It requires rati-
 fying states to eliminate the worst forms of child labour, including all forms of slavery or prac-
tices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom
and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use
in armed conflict; child prostitution and pornography; using children for illicit activities, in par-
ticular for the production and trafficking of drugs; and work which is likely to harm the health,
safety or morals of children. The convention requires ratifying states to provide the necessary
and appropriate direct assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour
and for their rehabilitation and social integration. It also requires states to ensure access to free
basic education and, wherever possible and appropriate, vocational training for children removed
from the worst forms of child labour.
International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) The ILO’s International Pro-
gram on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) was created in 1992 with the overall goal of the
progressive elimination of child labour, which was to be achieved through strengthening the ca-
pacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat
child labour. IPEC currently has operations in 88 countries, with an annual expenditure on tech-
nical cooperation projects that reached over US$61 million in 2008. It is the largest program of
its kind globally and the biggest single operational program of the ILO.

CHILD AND CHILD LABOUR

Every child deserves the same kind of treatment no matter what his/her Race, colour, caste, count
-ry or by any other means.

In many mythologies and even in our human history a “CHILD” is someone who is ul mate cre-
a on, lled with innocence and love of parents and is very curious to learn the world and every-
thing that comes with it and is deeply in sensi ve by nature. Children and childhood are known
as the ‘ Golden age’ of en re human life cycle. A child must be protected and taken care of from
the ‘harshness of outer world’. Children are very venerable ll the age of 15 or 16. Therefore
children need to be saved from the evils of the society so that they can enjoy their
childhood .When a child is deprived of all the above perks then it can be termed “Child Labour”.

Child labour is a viola on of children rights ,it e ects them mentally, physically and exposes
them to hazardous situa ons Child labour prevents children from ful lling their poten al .Child
labour can be termed as or stop them from going to school.Around the world, millions of chil-
dren do work in child labour. They work in elds, in factories, down mines, as servants or maids,
or selling goods in the street or at markets. Girls are more likely than boys to do domes c work,
such as cleaning, making food and serving.

The work that children can be forced to do might also be illegal - such as working with drug
gangs or in prostitution. Many children may get no money for the work they do but they will get
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 food and a place to sleep. If they become sick or injured, most children will not get any money
for missing work.Education is a proven strategy for reducing child labour. Lack of access to edu-
cation keeps the cycle of exploitation, illiteracy and poverty going limiting future options and
forcing children to accept low-wage work as adults and to raise their own children in poverty.
Children who have access to education can break the cycle of poverty at the root of child labour.
The causes for child labour are as follows (i) family’s social and economic circumstances(ii)a
lack of awareness about the harmful effects of child labour(iii) lack of access to basic and mean-
ingful quality education and skills training(iv) high rates of adult unemployment and under-em-
ployment(v) include the poverty and illiteracy of a child’s parents.
The consequences of child labour are as follows 1)Girl child face sexual exploita on by adults,
rape, pros tu on ,unwanted pregnancy, abor on, sexually transmi ed diseases. 2)children face
physical abuse that involve corporal punishment, emo onal such as blaming , beli ling, verbal
a ack, rejec on , humilia on and bad remarks . 3)O en children are deprived of family love,
a ec on, resul ng in loneliness and hopelessness4) Physical neglect like lack of adequate provi-
sion of food, clothing, shelter and medical treatment.5) Lack of schooling results in missing edu-
ca onal quali ca ons and higher skills thus perpetua ng their life in poverty.

FORMS OF CHILD LABOUR

ILO describes child labour as , “ child labour is a violation of fundamental human rights and has
been shown to hinder children’s development, potentially leading to lifelong physical or psycho-
logical damage”. Child labour refers to work that is harmful to children’s physical and mental
development and includes work that morally, physically, mentally or socially harmful to children.
And that interferes with their schooling, depriving them of the opportunity tp attend school. Or
by making them prematurely leave school or make them attend school and make them do heavy
work or working long hours. In worst cases the child is subjected to slavery. In some other cases,
they are left to look after themselves when they are exposed to any illness or any kind danger in
a large cities, often at a very early age.

We can again divide child labour into two categories 1.lite work and hazardous work. There’s
worst form of child labour, which means “ Work which could harm children’s health or well-be-
ing and /or expose them to danger”. Which includes slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage,
serfdom, forced labour, sexual exploitation of children( prostitution, pornographic
performances), using children as child soldieries

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION :

Sexual exploitation also includes commercial sexual exploitation of children, it is a commercial

transaction that involves the sexual exploitation of child such as prostitution of children, pornog-
raphy, sale and trafficking of children, child sex tourism.The commercial sexual exploitation of
children (CSEC) is another term for what often we call child sex trafficking. While anyone can
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be a victim, we know that kids who are homeless or runaways, LGBTQ, African American, Lati-
no and youth interacting with child welfare system are more venerable to this type of exploita-
tion. They are later trafficked and are either forced for prostitution or involved in pornography
etc.

Prostitution means “ the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for
payment”. In the Declaration of Children’s Rights from 1959 the human rights of children were
adopted for special attention to children living, protection, development and involvement rights
(Humanium,2017). Which does not let children do any kind of child labour including prostitu-
tion. But can you expect a child to get into this business all by herself/himself, no they can’t.
They are forced into this business, children are lured and bought into this. This a crime and vio-
lates Article 34 of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child(UNCRC,1989). And as
per C182 - Worst Form of Child labour Convention, 1999(No.182) its a clear violation of Article
3(b). The roots of prostitution are deeply embedded in our age-old traditional prostitution system
prevalent in different part of the world.

The latest ways traffickers do there business is using technology, the internet it is the biggest
platform for any dealer/buyer. As of today there are 150,000 new escort advertisements are post-
ed online. Somewhere in that pile is advertisement/information are the innocent children who are
bought and sold online for sexual intercourse. According to some reports there are about 37,761
cases and 10,496 traffickers identified and out of those 9,380 children were identified. This needs
to change.

CHILD SOLDIERS:

Child soldiers are those who are under 18 and are recruited by the state or non-state armed
groups. These children recruited are used as human shields by the armed forces in times of con-
flict. Children are exposed to multiple violent situations, such as killing, looting, abusing etc. It is
violation of article 38 according to UNCRC. The fact that children are the most venerable. They
shouldn’t be exposed to such violent environment as war or any revolt or any kind of violent act
that would harm his mental health or moral principles as children are the flag-bearers of the na-
tion and need to be cushioned, protected from the evils of the society. The unprecedented num-
bers not a result of conflict alone but brutality with which the forces conduct hostilities, includ-
ing by directly targeting children. In modern times, child soldiers are often associated with
African conflicts, but if we check the world history there’s clear evidence that children were used
all over the world in the armies. This recruitment of children as child soldiers, the root cause can
be vaguely said because of poverty. Children who are poor or have very limited access to educa-
tion are mostly to be targeted, and are forced to join the armed forces, later they are forced to kill
their parent and neighbors to desensitize them, also this would lead the children to stay with the
armed forces as thy have no other place to go. While some children willing join the armed forces
as they believe that they will be safe and saved. On the other the girl child as used as “wives”
and are subjected to sexual abuse, in some other cases the girl child are made soldiers and are
impregnated and are forced to fight with their kids strapped on their back.

In armed forces the child soldiers are made to handle guns and are made to kill the people.If a
child is exposed to multiple violent acts that would effect his health or leave him/her maimed.
This also means that the terror or any non-state armed organizations either kill or leave him to
die alone( there are exceptions like sending them back to his/her village, that will effect his
whole childhood as he is maimed, it disturbs the kid’s life as at that time the mental state of a
child is very venerable). This not violates their individual rights but also the fundamental princi-
ples of international law, it is also violation of article 4,6,11,19,38 according to UNITED NA-
TIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD(UNCRC). Child soldiers are most
profoundly famous in countries like Eritrea, south Sudan, Mauritania, Liberia, Zambia, Somalia,
Papua New Guinea, North Korea, Iran, India and etc. There are at least 18 conflicts since 2016
where child soldiers have participated in hostilities. In some other cases, children are used as
host for suicide bombs. If at all they are sent back they are shunned and given very little if any
support form the communities, with the lack of rehabilitation support for these kids they are fre-
quently recruited back into the military.

In recent times, there’s been very significant increase in recruitment/forcibly taking in of chil-
dren, around 159% since 2012 in 17 countries by non-state armed forces. The exploitation of
girls has also significantly increased from 216 to 893 in 2018 alone. There’s 40% increase in
sexual violence in armed forces and nearly 951 cases or incidents were verified in 2018, when
compared to 679 in 2013. With ongoing conflicts in middle east and persistent unrest in Somalia,
south Sudan, Democratic Republic Of Congo, central African Republic and else where are all
leaning increasingly exposed to recruitment of children. The world nations must come together
for this as without their support nothing can be done for our dearly children of world.

AGRICULTURE

Child labour can be seen majorly agriculture sector al around the world. 60% of of world’s
labour population is found in agriculture. Children aged from 5 to 11 are mainly active in agri-
culture. Agriculture is one of the dangerous sectors, as there are work-related fatalities, non-fatal
accidents and occupational diseases using fertilizers. Agriculture is one of the most dangerous
sectors for children to work into. Child labour mainly includes preparation of land, transport and
planting of seeds, weeding, applying fertilizers etc. the children that work in family farms are
basically unpaid. The work that children perform is often invisible and unacknowledged because
they assist their parents. In fact, especially on plantations where remuneration of worker is based
partly or wholly on task-work or piece-rate work, agriculture may be encourage to use children’s
output, and hence income. Some are forced to work in agricultural fields due to debt bondage.

ILO AND CHILD RIGHTS :

WORLD ANALYSIS

It is estimated that around 153 million of child population on whole of world are victims of child
labour. Of which 73 million children are working in hazardous working conditions. Mostly chil-
dren between 5 to 17 are targeted to child labour which covers sectors like agriculture, industrial
and services etc.

The distribution of children who are in child labour from different age groups are as follows:I) 5
to 11 years are 48% II) 12 to 14 years are 28% III) 15-17 years are 24% , Out of which the sex
ratio is 58% (88 million) are boys and 42%(64million) are girls.The regional distribution of child
labour is : Africa(19.6%), America(5.3%), Arab States(2.9%), Asia and the Pacific(7.4%), Eu-
rope and central Asia(4.1%) . In order to help the eradication/reduce child labour the countries
need to identify hazardous work places and continuously review the work place. Government
needs to have an assessment on risks associated with work place. The whole world needs to inte-
grate and take immediate and effective measure to eradicate forced labour and modern slavery.
IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS

1.ERITREA: Eritrea is among the world’s most closed countries, with a government known for
its abysmal human rights record and one-party rule. The Ministry of Education of Eritrea oper-
ates a national program, Maetot, under which children from grades 9-12 who may be younger
than 18 years are required to engage in compulsory labour in public works projects during their
summer holidays. Some children may be required to work on roads, dams, canals, and irrigation
projects. The Proclamation on National Service establishes compulsory military training and
service, known as Active National Service, for all citizens ages 18 to 40. (16) To graduate from
high school and meet the compulsory training component of National Service, students are re-
quired to complete their final year of schooling (grade 12) at the Sawa Education and Military
Training Camp; these students have typically reached age 18, but some are reportedly younger.
Previous reports found that some students are forced to conduct agricultural activities on gov-
ernment-owned farms, in addition to their military training, and girls may be subject to forced
domestic work in military training centers. The uncertain length of service, inability to earn
higher wages in the private sector, and notoriously harsh working conditions in the National Ser-
vice provoked a significant number of youth, including unaccompanied minors, to flee Eritrea
and may have also encouraged many to resort to the use of international smuggling or human
trafficking networks. Adolescent children who attempted to leave Eritrea were sometimes de-
tained or forced to undergo military training, despite being younger than the minimum age of 18
for compulsory military recruitment. Children face difficulty accessing education due to a short-
age of schools and the inability to afford uniforms, supplies, and transportation. Research did not
find information on whether the government made an effort to collect or publish data on the
worst forms of child labour.
 Poverty:The gross domes c product (GDP) of Eritrea is one of the lowest in the world, which
means that on average, an Eritrean person earns 100 mes less than someone in Spain.Children
are the most vulnerable when it comes to the consequences of this scourge. Their welfare is
largely compromised.
Abuse: In Eritrea, the law only forbids corporal punishment against children under the age of 15,
which seriously endangers their physical and mental health. This means that punishment judged
to be “reasonable” is legal. It is therefore widely accepted and prac sed by the popula on. As a
result, thousands of children are vic ms of violence in both the family se ng as well as at
school. Families are unaware that such punishment has an impact on the health and dignity of
the child.Furthermore, the perpetrators of inhuman and degrading treatment of children are
some mes police and the military. For example, many children in prison are ill-treated and cru-
elly tortured.
Health: Some recent e orts have seen success in improving children’s health in Eritrea. Howev-
er, the situa on is s ll dreadful, par cularly in terms of sta s cs, which show an infant mortality
rate of 55% for example. Children’s lives are o en endangered by disease, a lack of vaccina ons,
poor hygiene and so on.Health services are mainly concentrated in urban areas, which consid-
erably restricts healthcare access for children living in rural areas.Only 5% of the Eritrean popu-
la on has access to improved sanita on facili es. As a result, hygiene is severely lacking in the
majority of villages with a lack of toilet facili es, healthy washing areas, soap and so on.
AIDS: The prevalence rate of AIDS in Eritrea is very worrying. The number of HIV-posi ve people
is constantly on the rise. Further infec on could be avoided through greater preven on and in-
creased awareness of the virus among children and mothers. There is also a lack of care and
support for those a ected, despite recent progress.As well as a ec ng children’s physical
health, AIDS also has an impact on their lives in general. For example, many of them are made
AIDS orphans through the death of their parents. Tragically, their future prospects become
dimmer because of this.
Street children: Sadly, there are an increasing number of children living on Eritrea’s streets. They
are vulnerable to tra ckers and o en are more likely to become vic ms of tra cking or pros -
tu on.Street children o en use cannabis, alcohol, or inhale petrol fumes to escape their harsh
reality. These extremely tough living condi ons sadly have a nega ve impact on young people’s
physical, psycho-social, cultural, and economic development.
Right to Iden ty: Despite e orts that have been made in this area, not all Eritrean children are
guaranteed the right to an iden ty, par cularly children from minority communi es. Yet, regis-
tering a child’s birth and gran ng na onality ensures the child’s legal status. So, for those chil-
dren whose iden ty is not registered, they are not o cially recognized as a member of society
and therefore are not in a posi on to assert their rights.
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 Right to educa on: Eritrea has the world’s h poorest educa on system, with only 39% of chil-
dren a ending school. In par cular, children living in rural areas experience the most di cul es
in ge ng to school, some mes having to walk several kilometers in blistering heat to get to
class. Furthermore, many families are nomadic, which restricts their children’s access to educa-
on.Families in Eritrea generally refuse to let young girls go to school. Their futures are already
mapped out – they will be married as early as possible so there is a belief that school educa on
is not required.Furthermore, the facili es available in the educa on system are very poor, with
completely out-dated or non-existent text books, buildings, sanita on facili es and so on.
Female genital mu la on: The Eritrean government o cially outlawed female circumcision in
2007. However, in 2009, 60% of young girls in Eritrea were s ll a ected by genital mu la-
on.This mu la on is carried out in an unsafe and unhygienic environment, which o en has se-
rious consequences for the health of the young girls. The prac ce o en results in infec ons,
bleeding or other problems.
Child marriage: Although the legal age at which they can get married in this country is 18, al-
most half of young Eritrean girls are married before the age of 18. However, customary laws
allow marriage at a much younger age, in some cases at just 13 years old. Furthermore, the
number of children in this country who are married very young is steadily rising.Child marriage
has a nega ve impact on the child’s health, development and ability to assert their rights. When
young girls marry at a young age, their social interac on is limited as they give up their educa-
on. Furthermore, they are at risk of early pregnancy, which can endanger their health and the
health of their child.

2.NORTH KOREA: North Korea known for its most repressive government in the world.
North Korean kids are subjected to grave injustice, including backbreaking manual labor.The en-
forcers of these shocking practices are the government, military and surprisingly, elementary
schools.

There are 4 forms of child labour that north Korea conducts

(i) Working in prison camps: Punished for the perceived crimes of their parents, many North Ko-
rean children are forced into labour camps, where they must do backbreaking work. Adults and
children alike in these camps work in forests, mines and factories where injures are rampant due
to lack of safety measures. “Children in these camps are physically abused, deprived of all but
the most rudimentary education, and forced to work in dangerous and sometimes deadly condi-
tions,”

(ii) Working on farms: Both the country’s ruling party and Ministry of Education request cash or
labor directly from schools. As such, twice a year, kids are forced by their schools to do farming.
They must do plowing and seeding during the sowing period, followed by harvesting of the crops
later in the year.
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(iii) Collecting scrap material: Another act of manual labor imposed on children by North Korean
schools is collecting of scrap metal, broken rocks and pebbles, rabbit skins, old paper, and other
things which could be used in construction. When kids aren’t able to come up with enough items
to meet the imposed quota, they are required to pay cash instead. The materials collected are ei-
ther used or sold by the schools.

(iv) Cleaning statue: North Korean schools will often require kids to spend a good part of their
day working on beautification projects in public areas. This includes cleaning monuments and
statues. Kids can often be seen working away at these sites, with brooms in hand.

3.SOMALIA: As of September 2017, there were an estimated 2 million internally displaced per-
sons in Somalia. Children, are vulnerable to human trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation.
Trucks transporting goods to Somalia return to Kenya with girls who are trafficked for commer-
cial sexual exploitation in brothels in Kenya and destinations outside of Kenya. Some Somali
children seeking refuge in Kenya to avoid recruitment by the terrorist organization al-Shabaab
are subsequently trafficked for labour and commercial sexual exploitation. Research also found
that children in Somalia are trafficked to Saudi Arabia and forced to beg on the streets.

In 2017, the terrorist group al-Shabaab increased its campaign of forcibly recruiting children as
young as age 8 for use in armed conflict. These children planted explosive devices, acted as hu-
man shields, conducted assassinations and suicide attacks, gathered intelligence, and provided
domestic service; some girls were also forced into sexual servitude. Research found that the
Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a militia, which to date has not yet integrated into the Somali National
Army (SNA), recruited children. Somalia’s numerous clan militias also used child soldiers. Dur-
ing the reporting period, the SNA recruited children for use in armed conflict, even though Gen-
eral Order No. 1 prohibits military personnel from recruiting and employing child soldiers.

The protracted violence in Somalia has reduced access to all basic services, including public ed-
ucation. Attacks on schools by al-Shabaab, SNA, and other armed groups have resulted in the
forced recruitment of children, state and non-state military occupancy of schools, and damaged
educational facilities.

Al-Shabaab occupied rural areas in south-central Somalia. The Federal Government of Somalia
(FGS) had limited control outside its capital city, Mogadishu. In other parts of the country, essen-
tial governance functions were provided by regional administrations, including the self-declared
independent region of Somaliland in the northwest and the federal member state of Puntland in
the northeast.

4. REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Investigation has found child labor being used in the dangerous
mining of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mineral cobalt(Cobalt – a naturally
occurring element – is a critical component in lithium-ion, rechargeable batteries. In recent
years, the growing global market for portable electronic devices and rechargeable batteries has
fueled demand for its extraction, Amnesty said in its 2016 report. In fact, many top electronic
and electric vehicle companies need cobalt to help power their products.) is used in virtually all
 batteries in common devices, including cellphones, laptops and even electric vehicles.A report by
Amnesty International first revealed that cobalt mined by children was ending up in
products from several companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Samsung. The latest re-
search by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates 40,000 children are working
in DRC mines. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is by far the world’s largest producer
of cobalt, accounting for roughly 60 percent of global production.

According to the CDC, "chronic exposure to cobalt-containing hard metal (dust or fume) can re-
sult in a serious lung disease called 'hard metal lung disease’”. A kind of pneumoconiosis, mean-
ing a lung disease caused by inhaling dust par cles. Inhala on of cobalt par cles can cause res-
piratory sensi za on, asthma, decreased pulmonary func on and shortness of breath, the CDC
says.The health agency says skin contact is also a signi cant health concern "because dermal
exposures to hard metal and cobalt salts can result in signi cant systemic uptake." "Sustained
exposures can cause skin sensi za on, which may result in erup ons of contact derma s," a
red, itchy skin rash, the CDC says.Despite the health risks, researchers with Amnesty In-
terna onal found that most cobalt miners in Congo lack basic protec ve equipment like face
masks, work clothing and gloves. Many of the miners the organiza on spoke with for its 2016
report – 90 people in total who work, or worked, in the mines – complained of frequent cough-
ing or lung problems.

5.INDIA : Being known for its cultural diversity, but even has its share on the dark side of child
labour. A er its independence on 14 August 1947, it ushered a new possibili es for children. In
Its post independence period, India concentrated on more on shaping a more coherent concept
of childhood within the family as the principal ins tu onal in uence and as the prime site for
socializa on.child labour is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Household poverty forces
children into labour market to earn money. Some perform child labour to supplement family
income while many also are in it for survival. They miss out an opportunity to gain an educa on,
further perpetua ng household poverty across genera ons, slowing the economic growth and
social development. In India there are 10.1 million working children between the age of
5-14(Census, 2011) . In addi on to that 42.7 million children in India are out of school. The dis-
tribu on of working children is 26% in cul va ons, 32.9% in agricultural laborers, 5.2% in
household industry workers, 35.8% in other sectors( which are mainly hazardous).

DIFFICULTIES FACED BY ILO

1. The cost of the international labour standards:

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The basic question raised in today’s debates is the capacity for countries, even highly industrial-
ized ones, to bear the financial cost of ILO standards in the face of present economic chal-
lenges.It has been pointed out, for a long time, that the cost price of a product depends on nu-
merous factors: the price of raw materials, existing markets, monetary fluctuations, investment
policy, tax schemes, customs duties, manpower qualifications and managerial quality, to cite but
a few. It is therefore dangerous to attempt to measure the cost of international labour standards,
all the more so because they are very diverse and applied in countries which are very different
from one another because of their size or industrial structure.
2. The socio-economic dimension:
The level of economic development clearly plays a key role in the process of integrating in-
ternational labour law into the domestic legal order. In particular, effective execution of labour
standards depends on the institutional capacity of each State; social security springs

3. The difficulties linked to the control of the standards:

The implementation of international labour standards, and of national laws and regulations used
to that end, call for supervision by labour inspectors belonging to well trained, adequately staffed
bodies of civil servants. Although the laws, no matter what kind, are never totally respected, in
the field of labour the State’s limit to impose an obligation is quickly reached. There are sectors
in which work is hidden or clandestine and where, more often, cheating and fraud are rampant,
where, in any event, it is difficult to monitor application of the law. For some people passing
economic difficulties apparently justify all manner of infringements. If the discrepancies are too
frequent, the legal value and the usefulness of the labour standards can give rise to doubt; their
credibility can be laid open to question.to mind. If the State is weak, the application of both na-
tional and international labour rules can but run into problems. In addition, the very technical
character of some standards in fields such as working hours or social security only adds to the
difficulties.

CONCLUSION
The root cause for child labour is poverty and greed for money. In order to completely eradicate
child labour, all government and non-government organizations shall come together and fight
against it.There has to be certain policies that should be formulated in order to eradicate child
labour. It also because of lack of education,Education is the basic necessity for every child. Edu-
cation has been formally recognized as a human right since the adoption of the Universal Decla-
ration of Human Rights in 1948, and affirmed widely by everyone including UNESCO. The need
to set up a standard and provide education to everyone is not only for the benefit the children,
but also for the betterment of society and fulfillment of any other civil, political, economical or
social right. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child(1989) further strengthens
and broadens the concept of the right to education. But as there’s no legal binding force of the
treaties, these conferences have introduced an additional impetus for action, together with elabo-
rated commitments and time frames for their attainment.Millions of children and adolescents
continue to drop out of school, without acquiring basic education,knowledge and skills, they ei-
ther get into labour or do any other work. Approximately there are about 67 million children who
dropped out of school in Africa. This needs be changed, all the world governments must work
together on this issue of proving basic schooling to everyone.

The world governments must allot sufficient funds for people below the poverty line or to be
precise who send their children for employment for dire need of wealth. This will lead to relax-
ation of primary concerned of the families i.e., getting secure income source. This should be fol-
lowed up with constant motivation to send their children to school because that would later make
their future much brighter and increase the standard of living as their children would be educated
and would be earning decent amount of money, thereby helping them to carve out a name for
them in the society and earn reverence at the same time.

For the countries where the government is itself promoting child labour, the ratified members of
ILO need to come together and take stringent actions against the unethical governments and ILO
should also making policies binding to the governments which act in such unethical manner.

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FOOTNOTES :
https://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm

https://www.child-soldiers.org/news/child-soldier-levels-have-doubled-since-2012-and-girls-ex-
ploitation-is-rising

https://www.thorn.org/child-trafficking-statistics/

https://labour.gov.in/sites/default/files/WorkingGroup12th_plan_on_Child_Labour.pdf

https:// https://www.humanium.org/en/eritrea/

/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/eritrea

https://www.dw.com/en/child-labor-still-rife-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/a-39194724

https://www.ft.com › content
https://www.dol.gov › reports › child-labor › congo-democratic-republic-drc

https://www.humanium.org › somalia

https://www.dol.gov › agencies › ilab › resources › reports › somalia

https://www.cheatsheet.com › Money & Career

https://www.humanium.org › north-korea