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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>GOVERNMENT OF CANADA OUTLINES NEW MEASURES TO COMBAT EXPLOITIVE CHILD LABOUR</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> April 3, 1998 No. 85 GOVERNMENT OF CANADA OUTLINES NEW MEASURES TO COMBAT EXPLOITIVE CHILD LABOUR The Government of Canada today announced new actions it would take with key multilateral organizations to help eliminate the most abusive forms of child labour. These actions are outlined in the Government's response to the report by the House of Commons Subcommittee on Sustainable Human Development entitled Ending Child Labour Exploitation -- A Canadian Agenda for Action on Global Challenges. The response was tabled yesterday by Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, Labour Minister Lawrence MacAulay, and Minister for International Co-operation and la Francophonie, Diane Marleau. "We are in general agreement with the Subcommittee's report. In fact, we have already carried out a number of the recommended measures," said Mr. Axworthy. "These initiatives are consistent with our commitment to children's rights as outlined in the Speech from the Throne." In its response, the Government sets out its strategy to combat child labour exploitation and outlines the ways it is addressing the issue of the most extreme forms of child labour. Since the report was first tabled in February 1997, the Government has established the Child Labour Challenge Fund, it has adopted legislation to allow for the prosecution of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who engage in exploitive sexual activities with children while abroad, it participated in the Oslo Child Labour Conference, and it has supported the work of UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu. Canada's strategy is in keeping with its commitment under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and supports the efforts of the International Labour Organization (ILO) to develop a Convention on the most extreme forms of child labour by 1999. The Labour Program of Human Resources Development Canada will contribute $500 000 through the Canadian International Development Agency to fund the work of the ILO's Statistical Information and Monitoring Program on Child Labour (SIMPOC). This group will gather critical data on child labour in about 40 countries. "The ILO plays a lead role in developing new ways of collecting data on child labour," said Mr. MacAulay. "Canada is proud to be part of this project. It will provide governments, non-governmental organizations and other partners with the information needed to develop effective policies and programs to fight child labour." Minister Marleau and Minister Axworthy will explore partnerships with developing countries to combat child labour and develop long-term solutions for this problem. "Canada believes that solutions to exploitive child labour lie in co-operation based on reducing poverty and meeting basic human needs," said Madame Marleau. "Our partnerships with developing countries are critical to supporting good governance, which, in turn, means improved regulations on the employment of children." The ILO estimates that some 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are working around the world. - 30 - A backgrounder is attached. For further information, media representatives may contact: Debora Brown Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (613) 995-1851 Kristin Brulé Office of the Minister of Labour (819) 953-5646 André Doren Office of the Minister for International Co-operation and Minister responsible for la Francophonie (819) 997-6919 Media Relations Office Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (613) 995-1874 This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca Backgrounder THE STATISTICAL INFORMATION AND MONITORING PROGRAM ON CHILD LABOUR The Statistical Information and Monitoring Program on Child Labour (SIMPOC) is an international project designed to gather data on child labour in about 40 countries. The project is sponsored by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through its International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). One of the main obstacles in the fight against child labour is the lack of reliable data, especially in the informal sectors, domestic work and the sex trade. The ILO estimates that there are 250 million working children, nearly half of whom are between the ages of 5 and 14 and work full-time. Often, these children work in dangerous, exploitive environments that hurt their health, their education and their normal development. However, data are sparse and not necessarily reliable. SIMPOC will help bring the picture into clearer focus. Through SIMPOC, the ILO will study the scale, distribution, characteristics and causes of child labour, as well as the kinds of industries where it is found. The study will assist governments, non-governmental organizations and labour in determining the effectiveness of child labour policies and programs, and will help in the design of new measures to combat child labour. The ILO will publish a child labour trend report every two years. Some of the data to be gathered include the following: demographic and socio-economic characteristics of child workers; workplace conditions and wages; the reasons that children work; and socio-economic data about their parents, as well as their perceptions of child labour. SIMPOC is a five-year project to which Canada is contributing $500 000 for the fiscal year 1997/1998. The ILO and the United Nations have taken a number of steps to combat child labour: ILO member states have endorsed some 20 international instruments to protect children from work. In 1973, the ILO adopted the Minimum Age Convention and the Minimum Age Recommendation. In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes an article protecting children from economic exploitation. In the early 1990s, the ILO launched IPEC, which is turning the results of ILO projects into practical action. IPEC now runs some 700 projects around the world. The International Labour Conference, to be held in Geneva in June 1998, will define new standards that would oblige member states to "suppress immediately all extreme forms of child labour." The goal is formal adoption of this new instrument sometime in 1999. The ILO is the only international body where government, worker and employer representatives can meet on equal footing to discuss labour issues such as international labour standards and workplace equality for women. The ILO is recognized as the international organization responsible for the promotion of core labour standards, and is the guardian and promoter of 400 international conventions and recommendations that together make up the International Labour Code. Founded in 1919, and now a specialized agency of the United Nations, the ILO today has 174 member states. March 1998 </body> </html>

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