WRITTEN QUESTION E-2183/01

by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ELDR) to the Commission

(23 July 2001)

Subject: Bonded labour and the International Labour Organisation

What action is the EU taking to outlaw bonded labour in southern Asia? In particular, what did the EU achieve at the ILO Conference in June?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(6 September 2001)

The Commission's efforts at contributing to the effective abolition of forced labour throughout the world, including bonded labour in Southern Asia, focus both on strengthening international mechanisms for promoting core labour standards (which include the prohibition of forced labour) and on alleviating the pervasive poverty in which practices such as bonded labour are generally rooted.

With regard to the promotion of core labour standards in general, the Commission wishes to draw the Honourable Member's attention to the Communication adopted by the Commission on 18 July 2001 on Promoting core labour standards and improving social governance in the context of globalisation(1). The Communication proposes an Union strategy for promoting core labour standards and social governance, including both measures to be taken by the Union (in the context of its development policy and through such instruments as the Generalized System of Preferences) and ways of reinforcing international mechanisms for promoting core labour standards, notably in the context of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). In the ILO, this would include discussion of steps to reinforce the effectiveness of the supervisory mechanism, including better publicity and more effective follow-up, as well increased contributions to ILO technical assistance. It would also include discussion of a new voluntary system of reciprocal commitments to respect core labour standards.

The Commission also seeks to promote the eradication of bonded labour in Southern Asia through its technical assistance to the countries of the region. The Commission's strategy for development cooperation aims first and foremost at reducing the incidence of poverty and thereby paving the way for socially and economically empowering the groups that are most likely to fall prey to practices such as bonded labour.

In the case of Sri Lanka, in the framework of the Community co-operation strategy (2002-2006), a strong poverty alleviation focus directed at those rural areas with the most evident levels of poverty, has been introduced. In Bangladesh, two of the Commission's most important areas of co-operation are non-formal primary education and social mobilisation, which are both essential elements in fighting child and bounded labour. In addition, the Community is currently funding a Human Rights multiannual programme for Bangladesh (2000-2003), mainly focused on promotion of the rights of vulnerable groups (women and children). In Pakistan, the Commission is collaborating with ILO by funding a programme that aims directly at combating the practice of abusive child and bonded labour through measures of prevention, withdrawal and rehabilitation.

Regarding India, the Commission has committed around 2 billion in poverty-alleviation targeted co-operation since 1976. Currently the priority sectors are primary education (150 million agreed in 1994, and 200 million have been approved by Member States end 2000), primary health ( 200 million agreed in 1996), and environment. Over 150 non governmental organisations (NGOs) projects are currently financed in India, many of which focus on rural development focusing in particular on the most marginalised layers of population. Nepal receives a yearly average of 15 million in support of poverty alleviation programmes and projects, such as rural development, social services and education.

This year's International Labour Conference, to which the Honourable Member also refers, saw a particularly useful discussion of the trends worldwide with regard to forced labour, on the occasion of the presentation of this year's Global Report under the follow-up to the ILO's 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The discussion also focussed on possible further efforts to combat forced labour, and it appears that the question of how the ILO can further extend its technical assistance programmes to combat forced labour may be taken up in greater detail at the November session of the ILO's Governing Body. The Honourable Member enquires what the Union achieved in this context.

On certain subjects, the Presidency intervenes on behalf of the Union in the ILO (of which the Union is not a member). At this year's International Labour Conference, the Union thus intervened on a number of subjects, including the issue of ILO action against forced labour in Burma/Myanmar, and discussion of a new Convention on safety and health in agriculture, but not in the discussion on the Global Report on forced labour.

(1) COM(2001) 416 final.