Child labour: trends, challenges and policy responses. Joining forces against child labour

Much has evolved in terms of our knowledge surrounding the child labour problem and effective strategies for addressing it since the last major conferences on child labour which were held in Amsterdam and Oslo in 1997. This report makes use of advances in research achieved through UCW and other efforts to take stock of the global child labour situation, assess key remaining obstacles to the elimination of child labour and identify strategies for addressing them.The report presents evidence of country-specific child labour situations and trends, of reasons why child labour matters from a child rights and national development perspective, and of the policies holding greatest potential for combating it in the period leading up to the 2016 target date set by the Global Action Plan, endorsed by the ILO, to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. It also identifies areas where information gaps constitute an impediment to policy formulation. The report highlights the close linkages between child labour and broader development objectives, and the consequent need to address child labour as an important component of national development strategies. It also illustrates the wide array of factors contributing to child labour, and the resulting importance of a broad, integrated policy response to it. Finally, the report underscores the importance of concerted action by international development agencies in support of Government efforts in the fight against child labour. International development agencies have a support role to play both in the development of integrated national strategies against child labour, and in the implementation of such strategies, in accordance with the relative strengths of each agency.