Child Labour
:: Activities ::
EI emphasises that education is one of the key solutions to the elimination of child labour, and that the national authorities should hold the main responsibility in the re-integration of former child labourers into the formal education system.
For a number of years, EI affiliates are involved in the ILO-IPEC programme through the ILO Workers Activity Bureau (ACTRAV). In the Asia-Pacific region, the ILO-IPEC activities are frequently held in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Philippines. Through EI's local member organisations, grassroot-level activities are organised to raise awareness among populations where incidents of child labour are frequent, to encourage parents to send their children to school. In Europe, affiliates tie up with NGOs to lobby certain governments to eliminate child labour. An example is the "Stop Child Labour - School is the Best Place to Work" campaign launched by the Dutch affiliate AOb, in co-operation with the India Committee of the Netherlands, Dutch Trade Union Centre FNV, and Hivos. In 2003, through its "Europe for Education" campaign, EI succeeded in convincing the European Parliament to adopt a Resolution on the doubling of the proportion of the European Union's development cooperation aid towards education programs, notably in aid of the elimination of child labour. At the international level, EI alo participates in policy development with key partners such as the Global March against Child Labour, the ICFTU, and ILO/IPEC, UNICEF, and UNESCO.
Every 12 June is the World Day Against Child Labour. EI organises awareness-raising activities around the day to highlight the right of every child to a free quality public education.