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Child laborers and the hardest to reach children countrywide
New Hope Zimbabwe
June 12, 2009

Today the 12th of June 2009 New Hope Foundation joins the rest of the world in commemorating the World Day Against Child Labour. We share optimism over the progress made since the adoption of the international law to combat the worst forms of child labor in the last decade. With the holding of the 541 kms Global March Against Child Labour Zimbabwe initiative In December 2007, New Hope Foundation echoed an intense campaign first led by Global March of India that helped to produce a unanimously adoption of the ILO Convention 182, on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

But on the other hand the existence of millions of child laborers in the World today and hundreds more in Zimbabwe both in extremely exploitive conditions is a proof that the international community has not dealt with this crime against humanity with a genuine sense of urgency and political will. The world leaders have failed their promises time and again in ensuring a better life with good quality education for the children especially girls, who have been the worst victims of child labour and illiteracy. Inspite of efforts made by ILO, trade unions and civil society organizations the issue of child labor could not acquire the priority in the global and national political agenda.

Millions of child victims of domestic work, slavery, trafficking and hazardous work are waiting for a decade to see the actual implementation of the fastest ever ratified international law for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor. It is time for an honest reflection. In the Convention, there must be provision of national level committees to support the international efforts, guide them and as an oversight comprising of social partners. These committees need to be constituted and strengthened to take on the task to meaningfully contribute in the national agenda.

ILO's key effort in this is to build experience, technical tools and capacity within the ILO's Decent work country programs to provide more active support in their efforts to mainstream child labour concerns in national development and policy frameworks, including human rights frameworks. Among these are the MDGs, the Country Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRSPs), the Education for All (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and youth employment national action plans. Unfortunately the issue of child labor is largely missing from the education and poverty efforts and the best example of this is reflected in the disjointedness of the MDG's framework. The MDG's cannot be realized in the absence of child labor elimination entirely missing out of the goals and monitoring indicators. In similar way, EFA FTI proposed Local Education Groups need to harmonize work on the ground for any measure of success.

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