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ERIC Number: EJ764707
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-May
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0907-5682
EISSN: N/A
Opinion, Dialogue, Review: The New ILO Report on Child Labour--A Success Story, or the ILO Still at a Loss?
Liebel, Manfred
Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, v14 n2 p279-284 May 2007
With this year's Global Report on Child Labour, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopts a stance of victory. With confidence and pride, it announces that "the worldwide movement against child labour" led by the ILO itself has brought "the end of child labour--within reach". However, no convincing proof is given for this surprising assertion. The numerous illogicalities contained in the report are, rather, calculated to create the impression that the ILO no longer has an idea--or still has none--of how the fight against child labour is to be continued. One main problem with the ILO report is that its definition of child labour--as in previous reports and comments--even considering the distinctions made, only permits a categorically negative evaluation. Children's work, as understood by the ILO, is considered incompatible with (school) education and is seen primarily as a "development obstacle"--particularly to economic growth and poverty reduction. In this way the perspective is not only limited to a focus on the negative aspects of children's work, but also many essential activities as well as those accepted by children are not taken into consideration in the statistical data and strategic considerations of the ILO. The new Report on Child Labour is a further piece of evidence that the ILO is deaf to the concrete interests and needs of working children. Instead of preaching the elimination of child labour--currently step by step--the ILO should be recommended to ask exactly what could help to improve the situation of these children--while actually listening to working children and their organizations, and beginning a serious dialogue marked by mutual respect. (Contains 2 notes.)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A