AsiaDHRRA participates in the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour

By Jenny De Guzman - Knowledge Management
May 19, 2022
2:40 am

AsiaDHRRA’s Secretary-General Ms. Marlene Ramirez participating in Side Event 18 – Strategies to address child labour in artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, of the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour.

The 5th Global Conference convened with only three years left to achieve the goal of the elimination of all child labour by 2025, and only eight years towards the goal of the elimination of forced labour by 2030, as established by SDG Target 8.7. Additionally, it came at a time when the world was still recovering and responding to the multiple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a devastating effect on health, economic progress, equality and social development.

In this context, the 5th Global Conference represented an opportunity to assess progress made towards achieving the goals of Target 8.7, discuss good practices implemented by the different actors around the world and to identify gaps and urgent measures needed to accelerate the elimination of both child labour and forced labour.

Key discussions revolved around:

The elimination of child labour as a condition to positive labour market performance with a human-centered approach (education, skills development, life-long learning and school-to-decent work transition, depending on the age group);
The high prevalence of child labour in agriculture, which is closely linked to poverty, informality and family survival strategies;
The formalization of the informal economy and the creation of decent work;
The need for additional resources and targeted policies addressing the root causes of child labour and forced labour and the provision of adequate funding;
The challenge of COVID-19 eventually reverting years of progress in the fight against child labour, forced labour and child trafficking;
The rich experience the regions are bringing to the Conference, with the opportunity to highlight the specific contributions of the African region;
The value added of pledges and action-oriented, time-bound commitments of the international community towards the achievement of SDG target 8.7.