Eliminating all forms of child labour
Road Map by 2016:
Text of the speech by Labour Relations and
Productivity Improvement Minister Gamini Lokuge on ‘Zero Worst forms of
Child Labour by 2016: National Conference for the preparation of a Road
Map’ held in Colombo recently
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Child labour badly affects the development of children. File
photo |
Like in Sri Lanka, all developed countries of the world are
conducting very broad programs with the co-operation of the
International Labour Organisation, United Nations and other multilateral
organisations. Sri Lanka has well demonstrated its dedication by
adopting International Conventions. Having accepted the Convention on
‘Right of the Child’ in 1991 and in order to give effect to the said
convention, Sri Lanka declared the ‘Charter on Right of the Child’.
Similarly Sri Lanka adopted two Core Conventions on child labour of the
International Labour Organisation - Convention 138 on the minimum age
for admission for employment and convention 182 on ‘elimination of worst
forms of child labour’. By this, our dedication for elimination of child
labour was re-iterated.
Global action plan
The basic object of Sri Lanka is to eliminate all forms of child
labour and we have decided that worst forms of child labour should be
soon eradicated. The mental and physical hazards suffered by the child
through worst forms of child labour badly affect the development of the
child and they have decided to take speedy steps to minimize its social
consequences.
Speciality here is the WHO recommendation of a global action plan
according to the report published in year 2006 and the recommendation
for the preparation of the Road Map to eradicate worst forms of child
labour by year 2016. The Road Map prepared on this recommendation was
adopted at the Global Child Conference held in Hague in Netherlands in
May 2010, in which I too participated and had the opportunity of
demonstrating our dedication to eliminate child labour in Sri Lanka.
The leading factor for preventing child labour, as all of us know, is
finding a solution to the problem of poverty. Prevention of children
from obtaining education due to poverty and therefore entering
employment at a very early age are some of the obstacles in eliminating
child labour.
Job opportunities
Giving an education alone is not a solution for this and providing
them with quality education and retaining them in it are essential
steps. Although nearly 100 percent of the children enter primary
education, it is seen that a considerable number out of them give up
education half way. According to the law in Sri Lanka, providing
education up to 14 years, that is junior level of the secondary
education is compulsory. However the question is how to retain them in
education and give them the basic education and the technical education
required for engaging them in employment although free education exists.
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Minister Gamini Lokuge |
Sri Lanka has taken several steps during the last few decades to
eliminate poverty. At present wide programs are being implemented to
eliminate poverty and to remove the differences existing divisionally
under the development program of the Mahinda Chintana for 2006-2016.
Basic strategies are being implemented to create job opportunities and
increase the income by re-organisation of the State sector services.
These programs create social protection by implementing activities to
ensure that the people would not fall into a helpless position when
unemployed and to provide them some minimum income in times of various
hazards implementing social protection programs.
Social protection
Accordingly, it is necessary to implement a productive Un-employment
Insurance Benefit Scheme and to extend the present social protection
system to cover all the people in the country.
We have identified the necessity of establishing a Social Floor
enabling the providing of social protection to all the people in the
country after discussion with the International Labour Organisation and
study strategies to find resources to implement these proposals are
being looked into and as a step forward, I have proposed a pension
scheme with more benefits for all the members of the Employees’
Provident Fund. When I participated in the International Labour
Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, I requested the Social Security
Division of the International Labour Organisation to carry out a
feasibility study and to prepare a long-term estimate regarding the
necessary resources.
As you all know the main strategy for elimination of poverty is to
provide decent work. Such employment should be of quality and they
should be given the opportunity of participating in the policy making
and implementation of these policies through social dialogue and should
ensure workers’ rights and social conservation. Sri Lanka has prepared a
National Decent Work Policy and procedure in keeping with the Decent
Work Policy and Agenda of the International Labour Organisation and
elimination of child labour has been included as a part of it.
Decent work
Similarly in generating decent work, it is very much necessary to
propose and implement macro-economic policies.
It implies that elimination of child labour cannot be done by
imposing laws alone and that the participation of State Ministries and a
large number of other establishments and also the active contribution by
both employer and employee and the Non-Governmental Organisation. What
we expect at this Conference are to prepare the necessary Road Map with
the object of eradicating the worst forms of child labour by year 2016
and to implement such a plan by obtaining due contribution of other
establishments and persons and International Establishments.
At the end of implementing this plan, we expect to eradicate worst
forms of child labour by year 2016, direct the children to school and
technical education, direct the parents for decent work and I expect
that the Road Map we discuss would be an appropriate tool for it. |
