About - ILO IPEC

The ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)

IPEC Worldwide

The ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour is the world's largest technical cooperation programme on child labour. In more than 90 countries IPEC inspires, guides and supports national initiatives to eliminate child labour.

What is the aim?

IPEC works toward the progressive elimination of child labour by strengthening national capacities to address the problem, and by creating a world-wide movement to combat it.

IPEC multi-sectoral strategy

n Motivating a broad alliance of partners to acknowledge and act against child labour.
n Carrying out a situational analysis to find out about child labour problems in a country.
n Assisting with developing and implementing national policies on child labour problems.
n Strengthening existing organizations and setting up institutional mechanisms.
n Creating awareness on the problem nationwide, in communities and workplaces.
n Promoting the development and application of protective legislation.
n Supporting direct action with (potential) child workers for demonstration purposes.
n Replicating and expanding successful projects into the programmes of partners.
n Mainstreaming child labour issues into socio-economic policies, programmes and budgets.

Priority target groups

Worst forms of child labour, such as
n Slavery or similar practices
n Exploitation of children in prostitution, pornography and for other illicit purposes
n Hazardous working conditions and occupations

Children who are particularly vulnerable such as:
n Very young children (under 12)
n Working in hidden work situations
n Working girls

Commitment

A strong commitment by the government to solve the problem of child labour is a precondition for IPEC to start activities in a country. This commitment is expressed in a Memorandum of Understanding between the country and the ILO.

IPEC in Indonesia

Indonesia was among the first seven countries that started with IPEC in 1992. The Government of Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ILO at the start of the programme. IPEC Indonesia has an office in Jakarta in the United Nations Building. It has supported 67 Action Programmes and 26 Mini-programmes with different partners under its core budget. Among the target groups were:
n children working in the dump-site of Jakarta,
n children working in plantations of East Java
n children working in fishing in Weleri
n children working with bleach in Tangerang
n street children

IPEC's strategy

IPEC gives technical support to Action Programmes, which are implemented by national organizations and financial aid as one of IPEC's indirect support. Support is given to partner organizations to develop and implement measures, which
n aim at preventing child labour
n removing children from hazardous work
n providing their rehabilitation and social reintegration
n providing alternatives for them and their families (education, income-generation)

IPEC partners

n Government (main partners: Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Social Welfare)
n Employers
n Workers
n NGOs
n Universities

National Steering Committee

Each country that starts an IPEC programme should establish a National Steering Committee on child labour, which ensures that child labour activities are in line with national policies and which coordinates the different activities. The NSC sets priorities for the implementation of programmes in line with the national policy on child labour. The NSC also selects and endorses action programmes to be supported financially and technically by IPEC. The NSC should have members from different governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, workers' organizations and employers' organizations.

A lot of the programmes started as pilot projects. Some were successful, others were not. Some have been replicated and lessons have been learnt. Therefore IPEC is moving towards a more mature programme in Indonesia with larger action programme and large, comprehensive time-bound programmes which specifically target one sector. Examples of the latter are:

n children working in the footwear industry in West Java and
n children working on jermals in North Sumatra.