World Day Against Child Labor
June 12 was established by the International Labor Organization as World Day Against Child Labor.
The International Labor Organization was founded in 1919 as a specialized agency of the League of Nations, and after World War II in 1946 the ILO became the first specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). Today, 187 states are members of the ILO (out of 193 UN member states). In 1969, the ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize for improving fraternity and peace among nations, pursuing decent work and justice for workers, and providing technical assistance to other developing nations.
The central bodies of the ILO are the International Labor Conference, the Governing Body and the Geneva Permanent Secretariat, the International Labor Office (ILO). It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with around 40 field offices around the world including a department in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Due to its specialization, the ILO is a source of innovative legislation in the field of labor rights. The ILO and UNICEF regularly publish analytical reports on assessments and trends in child labor, workers ‘rights, occupational safety, prisoner workers rights, and so on.
At the legislative level, ILO developed the Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, 1999 (No. 182), which was ratified by the Law of Ukraine of 05.10.2000 2022-III and thus became part of Ukrainian legislation. The Convention aims to eliminate the use of forced, harmful and dangerous labor, as well as the exploitation of children.
Under Ukrainian law, employment is possible from the age of 16 (except for 14-15 years of age, but only with the consent of one of the parents or guardians). According to the Convention, any form of work that is likely to harm the physical, mental or moral development and health of a child, their safety or personality should is prohibited for persons under the age of 18.
Article 32 of the Ukrainian Civil Code stipulates that minors are persons aged 14 to 18. The work of persons under 14 years of age is strictly prohibited under any circumstances.
On this day, we draw public attention to the problem of child labor, and especially its worst manifestations: slavery and forced labor in hazardous conditions (work in mines), involving children in drug production and trafficking, prostitution and participation in hostilities.
Photo by Marwan Ahmed on Unsplash
