Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour
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  Party
  Party (convention not in force)
  Convention not applied (dependent territory)
  Non ILO-member
Signed 17 June 1999
Location Geneva
Effective 19 November 2000
Condition 2 ratifications
Parties 182[1]
Depositary Director-General of the International Labour Office
Languages English and French (Article 16)

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 (ILO) in 1999 as ILO Convention No 182. It is one of eight ILO fundamental conventions.[2]

By ratifying this Convention No. 182, a country commits itself to taking immediate action to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child 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.[3]

Ratifications

As of 2018, the convention has been ratified by 182 out of 187 ILO member states. ILO member states that have not ratified the convention are:[1]

  •  Eritrea
  •  Marshall Islands
  •  Palau
  •  Tonga
  •  Tuvalu

The convention has also not been extended to several non-metropolitan territories of states that did ratify the convention:[4]

StateNon-metropolitan territory
 Australia Norfolk Island
 Denmark Faroe Islands,  Greenland
 France French Polynesia,  New Caledonia, French Southern and Antarctic Territories
 Kingdom of the Netherlands Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands[5]
 New Zealand Tokelau
 United States American Samoa,  Guam,  Northern Mariana Islands,  Puerto Rico,  United States Virgin Islands
 United Kingdom Anguilla,  Bermuda,  British Virgin Islands,  Gibraltar,  Isle of Man,  Jersey,  Montserrat

Predefined worst forms of child labour

Convention 182 includes forms of child labour, which are predefined worst forms of child labour. They are also sometimes referred to as automatic worst forms of child labour.

The predefined worst forms of child labour are:

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 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 (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."[7]

Country programmes on WFCL

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

The Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography plays a role in the co-ordination of activities

References

  1. 1 2 "Convention No. C182, ratifications". International Labour Organization. 2 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "Conventions and ratifications". International Labour Organization. 27 May 2011.
  3. ↑ "R190 - Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation, 1999 (No. 190)". International Labour Organization. 17 June 1999.
  4. ↑ "Report IV, Fundamental principles and rights at work: From commitment to action" (PDF). International Labour Organization (First ed.). 2012.
  5. ↑ "Detailpagina Verdragenbank; Verdrag betreffende het verbod op en de onmiddellijke actie voor de uitbanning van de ergste vormen van kinderarbeid". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands) (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "C182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999". International Labour Organization. 1999. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "Worst forms of child labour (IPEC)". www.ilo.org. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
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