Kathmandu, Jan. 31: Director for In-focus Programme-International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) Frans Roselaers today said that Nepal’s government “reconfirmed its serious commitment” towards ratifying International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 182 Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and other core labour conventions.

He also said that child labour was interrelated with development problems and problem of poverty therefore eliminating it was a complex and difficult issue. “Political will as well as full support from social partners is necessary to achieve the goal,” Roselaers added. “The government can start the task from firstly focusing on worst forms of child labour,” he suggested.

ILO’s newest convention, adopted by International Labour Conference in June last year in Geneva, identifies all forms of slavery or slavery like practices such as sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, use, procurement or offering of children for prostitution, production of pornography or pornographic performances and other illicit activities particularly for drug production and trafficking and any other work that is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

Talking about child labourers under bonded system, he said Nepal had various forms of bonded labour system in practice. “Therefore the Kamaiya system should be treated as a part of huge bonded labour system and lessons should be derived from other country’s experiences of fighting against such unjust labour system,” he said. He also stressed that improving children’s access to educational facilities and their parents’ access to justly paid job opportunities are the only answers to the problem.

He also said that ILO was cautious about not letting funds be misused by aid receiving countries. “In my current visit we’ll also discuss about improved use of the fund and tightening financial control while carrying out various projects,” he said. He also said that both the aid donor and receiver countries are “vulnerable” as both may suffer public criticism even for small mistakes.

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