Peer-reviewed article
Addressing child labour through a child rights lens
Kavita Ratna ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This document describes a pivotal moment in 1997 when child representatives from the International Movement of Working Children participated directly in ILO negotiations on the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention in Amsterdam. The children's involvement was grounded in their years of advocacy across Asia, Africa and South America, supported by organizations like Concerned for Working Children. The document highlights how children positioned themselves as 'workers' deserving a place in the international tri-partite consultation process. This represents a significant shift toward child participation in global child labour policy discussions.
Key points
- Child representatives successfully advocated for their participation in the 1997 ILO Consultation on the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
- Children claimed standing as 'workers' in the ILO's tri-partite structure (government, employers, workers)
- Years of determined advocacy by working children in Asia, Africa and South America preceded their participation at the high-level meeting
- Organizations like Concerned for Working Children facilitated children's participation in international policy processes
- The International Working Group on Child Labour provided global coordination for child advocacy efforts
Limitations
The document is a brief excerpt that does not provide substantive analysis of child labour interventions, outcomes, or effectiveness. It cannot tell us about the impact of child participation on policy outcomes or the broader context of child labour addressing mechanisms.
Abstract
On a cold February day in 1997, an unprecedented event took place in Amsterdam. Representatives of the International Movement of Working Children had elbowed their way into the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Consultation where ‘Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention’ was under consideration. Children had made a case for their participation on the grounds that they constituted one of the tri-partite of ILO, that is, ‘workers’. Their presence at that high-level meeting had, as its foundation, years of their determined advocacy in Asia, Africa and South America. They were facilitated by supportive organisations such as ourselves (The Concerned for Working Children (CWC)—www.concernedforworkingchildren.org), and globally by the International Working Group on Child Labour.