The ILO launched IPEC in 1992 with a major donation by the German Government. It is now operational in 22 countries. Over ten donors have come to support IPEC, one of the major ones being the United States.
Child labour is a vast, complex and multifaceted phenomenon.
In the long term it can be solved only from within the countries themselves. The extent of child labour in commercial agriculture is not known to any degree of precision but some surveys suggest that the bulk of economically active children is to be found in agriculture. Children are exposed to dangerous work, in the form of heavy workloads, inappropriate use of agrochemicals and cutting tools, as well as other physical hazards. Generally inadequate working and living conditions amount to strenuous work and low productivity. Commercial agriculture is of critical importance in sub-Saharan Africa in respect of export earnings and employment.