La communauté mondiale des entreprises est à l'œuvre pour l'élimination du travail des enfants

À l'occasion de la Journée mondiale contre le travail des enfants, l'OIE appelle toutes les parties prenantes à faire preuve de plus d'ambition et à redoubler d'efforts dans la lutte mondiale pour mettre fin au travail des enfants (en anglais).

Just released figures from UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) show that the number of children being put to work has risen – to 160 million worldwide, representing an increase of 8.4 million over four years – while millions of others are at risk due to rising poverty driven by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This increase equates to 1 in 10 children worldwide.

The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and its members, representing more than 50 million companies, call on all national governments and domestic stakeholders to urgently work together, be more ambitious and identify new ways to address the crisis to eliminate it permanently. Past efforts were insufficient to protect children when the Covid-19 crisis devastated economies and wiped out the livelihoods of millions of families. It is of paramount importance to address the fundamental causes of child labour, which also ensures that economic and social disruptions do not force children out of school into work.

To contribute to the 2021 International Year to End Child Labour, IOE launched the Leaders Initiative to End Child Labour to mobilise business around the world in the fight against child labour.

IOE is proud to have launched the International Elimination of Child Labour Changemaker Award as part of its Leaders' Initiative. This award not only recognises the extraordinary efforts made by employer organisations around the world to eliminate child labour in their country, but particularly those efforts that are innovative, impactful, and sustainable.

The Changemaker Award highlights the global efforts by employers to tackle the root causes of child labour locally, engaging in various initiatives ranging from creating study opportunities and training programmes, building vacation camps and schools for children, promoting business guidelines and code of conducts, and engaging in the development of national laws and policies.

IOE, and our over 150 member organisations, are strongly committed to working with other stakeholders to go beyond make eliminating child labour an ambitious goal but a reality for children across the globe.