Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary:
Child labour has finally appeared high
on the political agenda as a major
social issue of major importance to
both developed and developing
countries. By continuous efforts of
ILO, UNICEF, WHO, NGOs and trade unions
the concern for the well-being of
millions of children has been growing.INTRODUCTION
Child labour has finally appeared high on the political agenda as a
major social issue of major importance to both developed and
developing countries. By continuous efforts of ILO, UNICEF, WHO, NGOs
and trade unions the concern for the well-being of millions of
children has been growing.
The United Nations decided to dedicate the year 1979 to the child.
The main issues of this International Year of the Child (IYC) were:
the handicapped child, the street child and the working child. At
that time the world did not seem to be ready for the last two
categories. It lasted until 1986 before UNICEF, at its 40th
anniversary, decided to support the "Child Hope" programme for street
children. In the meantime the UN Human Rights Commission, together
with Defence for Children International (DCI) prepared the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was accepted by the UN
in November 1989. This was the starting point for full recognition of
the needs and rights of children in "especially difficult
circumstances".
As a result the German Government together with some other
governments strongly supported an ILO initiative to start the
International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-
IPEC). Practical action projects at the national level of several
countries were started, and scientific research was undertaken. Very
recently again ILO-IPEC has called for immediate action against the
most intolerable forms of child labour, such as slavery, bondage,
child prostitution, hazardous industrial work and the work of very
young children.
To fight the most intolerable forms of child labour in a more
effective way, more knowledge is required about the health aspects of
child labour.
Already in the eighties a lot of preparatory work, including
research, was done by many pioneers. From the 1981 Congress on Child
Abuse and Neglect (CAN) in Amsterdam onwards DR P.M. Shah (WHO) has
permanently and consistently promoted the awareness of the health
aspects of child labour. Together with the late Mr H Habenicht (IPEC-
ILO) and others Dr Shah prepared for a Regional Experts Workshop on
Child Labour in Africa, which was held in Dakar, Senegal, 4-5
December 1993 and attended by representatives from WHO, ILO, UNICEF
and the International Pedriatic Association (IPA). This workshop
resulted in the Dakar Declaration on Child Labour, which was accepted
by the IPA. It formed the basis for the Resolution on Child Labour in
Kuala Lumpur in 1996, which is presented to you in these proceedings.
At present many professionals, medical as well as social scientists,
have started to collect facts and figures about the health of working
children, but there are still many gaps in our knowledge. The
available data are scattered, and there is still little cooperation
between the institutes and organisations involved. The awareness
among medical professionals of the health aspects of child labour is
insufficient, so that not enough preventive measures are taken and
only little action has been taken to improve the health situation of
children in factories, mines, and farms.
The Netherlands Foundation for International Child Health (NFICH) and
the Foundation for International Research on the Exploitation of
Working Children (IREWOC) joint hands in the initiative for a
precongress workshop on the Health Apects of Child Labour at the 4th
International Conference of Tropical Pediatrics in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, July 1996. This initiative was fully endorsed by Dr. Mohd
Sham Kasim, chairman of the Organising Committee.
The purpose was to present the available knowledge by experienced
professionals to raise the level of awareness among the
paediatricians and to make a start with further research and with
better cooperation between all parties involved. It was very
stimulating that representatives from ILO/WHO/UNICEF/IPA/ISPCAN were
present to discuss further action. The Kuala Lumpur Resolution on
Child Labour, prepared by the workshop, was approved in a plenary
session of the Congress. It is a strong appeal to paediatricians and
paediatric organisations to get involved in the health problems of
working children.
To achieve the implementation of the recommendations of the
resolution it was agreed to ask IPA to take the lead in forming a
Task Force in close cooperation with international agencies and NGOs.
In the proceedings of the workshop and the symposium NFICH and IREWOC
presented the papers and discussions of a very engaged group of
experts from Africa, Asia and Europe. They have convinced us that
paediatricians and other health professionals should work together
with trade union officials, UNICEF, ILO, and WHO representatives,
national authorities and NGOs to bring an end to the most intolerable
forms of child labour and to improve the working conditions of
children all over the world, especially because the health and
development of generations of children is in danger.
We cannot afford to lose time on this issue.
Owner: Netherlands Foundation for International Child Health