The Convention Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, known in short as the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, was adopted by the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

(ILO) in 1999 as ILO Convention No 182. It is one of eight ILO fundamental conventions. By ratifying this Convention No. 182, a country commits itself to taking immediate action to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of

child labour Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...

, including

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

child prostitution Child prostitution is prostitution involving a child, and it is a form of commercial sexual exploitation of children. The term normally refers to prostitution of a minor, or person under the legal age of consent. In most jurisdictions, child ...

, use of children in criminal activities, and dangerous labour. The Convention is enjoying the fastest pace of ratifications in the ILO's history since 1919. The ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) is responsible for assisting countries in this regard as well as monitoring compliance. One of the methods used by IPEC to assist countries in this regard are Time-bound Programmes. The ILO also adopted the Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation No 190 in 1999. This recommendation contains, among others, recommendations on the types of hazards that should be considered for inclusion within a country-based definition of

Worst Forms of Hazards faced by Children at Work {{no footnotes, date=May 2014 The Worst Forms of Hazards faced by Children at Work is a provision in the Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation (No. 190) adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1999. It sets out the framework ...

. Convention No 182 has been signed by all ILO Member States by 4 August 2020. This has become the fastest ratified agreement in the UN's 101-year history.

Purpose of the Convention

The elimination of child labour was one of the main goals of the ILO. According to the UN agency, 152 million children worldwide are affected by the convention, almost half of which do dangerous work. Most child labour is carried out in the agricultural sector, mainly due to poverty and the difficulties faced by parents. The Convention supports the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, forced labour and trafficking in human beings. It prohibits the use of children in armed conflicts, prostitution and pornography, illegal activities such as drug trafficking and dangerous work. According to the ILO, the proportion of child labour fell by almost 40 percent between 2000 and 2016 as the ratification rate increased and countries passed laws and policies, including the minimum age of employment.

Ratifications

On 4 August 2020, the High Commissioner for in the United Kingdom, Hon. Titilupe Fanetupouvava'u Tuita-Tu'ivakanō, formally deposited the ratification instruments for this convention together with ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder. This is a historic event as it is the first time for an International Labor Convention to be ratified by all member states. The convention has also not been extended to several non-metropolitan territories of states that ratified the convention:

Predefined ''worst forms of child labour''

Article 3 of the International Labor Organization's Convention 182 includes forms of

, which are ''predefined'' as the worst forms of child labour, including the following:. They are also sometimes referred to as ''automatic'' worst forms of child labour. The predefined worst forms of child labour are: *all forms of

or practices similar to slavery, such as **the sale of a child; **

trafficking of children Trafficking of children, also known as child trafficking, is a form of human trafficking and is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of a child" for the purpose of slavery, forced labour, and s ...

, meaning the recruitment of children to do work far away from home and from the care of their families, in circumstances within which they are exploited; **

debt bondage Debt bondage, also known as debt slavery, bonded labour, or peonage, is the pledge of a person's services as security for the repayment for a debt or other obligation. Where the terms of the repayment are not clearly or reasonably stated, or whe ...

or any other form of

bonded labour Debt bondage, also known as debt slavery, bonded labour, or peonage, is the pledge of a person's services as security for the repayment for a debt or other obligation. Where the terms of the repayment are not clearly or reasonably stated, or whe ...

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

; ** forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; *

Commercial sexual exploitation of children Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) defines the "umbrella" of Sexual crimes, crimes and activities that involve inflicting sexual abuse on to a child as a financial or personal opportunity. Commercial Sexual Exploitation consists of ...

(CSEC), including the use, procuring or offering of a child for: **

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

, or **the production of

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

or for pornographic performances; *use, procuring or offering of a child by others for illegal activities, also known as children used by adults in the commission of crime (CUBAC), including the trafficking or production of drugs *work by its nature that is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children

Worst form hazards: To be defined by each ratifying country

The last category of worst form of child labour is work which by its nature or the circumstances is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children, or Worst Forms of Hazards faced by Children at Work. Here the Convention recommended that the circumstances should be determined in consultation with organisations of employers and workers within a specific country. The Convention recommends that programmes of action should attend specifically to younger children, the girl child, hidden work situation in which girls are at special risk, and other groups of children with special

vulnerabilities Vulnerability refers to "the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally." The understanding of social and environmental vulnerability, as a methodological approach, involves ...

or needs. Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation No 190 contains recommendations on the types of hazards that should be considered to be included within a country-based definition of worst form hazards. This could lead to many deaths. The worst forms of child labour that should be prohibited in ILO Recommendation No. 190 are: * "Any work that exposes children to

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

(physically or psychologically). * Any work that is done underground, under water, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces. * Any work that is done with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools. * Any work that involves the manual handling or transport of heavy loads. * Any work that is done in an unhealthy environment which may, for example, expose children to hazardous substances, agents or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels, or vibrations damaging to their health. * Any work that is done under particularly difficult conditions such as work for long hours or during the night or work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises of the employer."

Country programmes on WFCL

Several programs exist (coordinated by the ILO or other UN organisations) to stimulate adherence to the convention: *Programmes of the

addressing the worst forms of child labour ** Time-Bound Programmes for the Eradication of the Worst forms of Child Labour; ** International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour; **Country programmes on

. The

Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography The Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children works on behalf of the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the exploitation of children around the world and make recommendations to governments on how to end s ...

plays a role in the co-ordination of activities.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*Text of th
Convention
an
Recommendation No 190ratificationsHandbook for parliamentarians: Eliminating the worst forms of child labour
ILO,

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; , UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing g ...

, 2002
ILO Further documents on Worst Form HazardsFindings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - U.S. Department of Labor
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