Debate: Marking the World Day against Child Labour
Date: MONDAY, 12 JUNE 2023
Speaker: Didier Reynders
Language: EN

There has been a significant decrease in the number of children engaged in child labour in the 21st century, going from 245 million in 2000 to 152 million in 2016. But this positive trend has stopped. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of children in child labour globally, has risen to 160 million, nearly half of whom are engaged in hazardous work. We are deeply concerned about the recent increase in child labour, which is affecting children’s rights and hindering their full development. We cannot accept this very worrying trend, which is also contrary to the commitment that we have taken with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to reduce inequalities and poverty in the world.  The European Union remains committed towards putting an end to child labour through a zero-tolerance approach to the issue. Within the Union, the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child adopted in 2021 specifically makes the commitment towards a zero tolerance approach against child labour in line with Article 32 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. With the European Child Guarantee, we aim at fighting child poverty and ensuring that children in need have access to key services to thrive in their lives.  EU Member States have high minimum standards for the protection of children, particularly in relation to child labour, which are in line with – and generally provide a higher level of protection than – the European Labour Organisation conventions on minimum age and worse forms of child labour.  When it comes to tackling child labour abroad, the EU continues to act. Our 2022 Communication on Decent Work Worldwide, which outlines the EU’s commitment to promoting the four elements of decent work – social protection, employment creation, standards and rights at work and social dialogue and tripartism includes a specific focus on the eradication of child labour and forced labour.  The European Union is involved in several projects and programmes aimed at eradicating child labour, such as the Sustainable Cocoa Initiative, which promotes the use of sustainable cocoa production methods and works to prevent child labour in cocoa farming, while the CLEAR Cotton project aims to combat child labour in the cotton supply chain.  The European Union also provides funding for development programmes aimed at reducing child labour, such as the International Labour Organization’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and has supported initiatives to combat child labour in specific sectors such as mining and fisheries. In addition to these projects and initiatives, the European Union promotes international standards on child labour in its free trade agreements and unilateral trade preference schemes. Moreover, the Commission’s proposal for a new generalised scheme of preferences renders the export of goods made by internationally prohibited child labour, a ground for withdrawing unilateral trade preferences.  Another key component of the EU’s approach to addressing child labour is the promotion of responsible business conduct and sustainable supply chains.  The Commission’s proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence would require companies to identify and address negative human rights impacts in their supply chains, including child labour impacts.  The Commission has also proposed to prohibit products made using false labour from the EU market, including products made with forced child labour. We also work within international and multilateral fora to support the implementation of UN instruments on decent work, and the European Union is actively contributing to setting labour standards through the International Labour Organization.  Today, as every day, we should unite to say that all children should be protected from child labour.