ILO/IPEC's Project in the Footwear Industry - Bandung
The existing of child labour in the footwear sector
in Indonesia has been a serious concern by the ILO/IPEC. Based on
the preliminary assumption that the footwear production process
is mostly using chemical ingredients had been proven from the rapid
assessment that the ILO/IPEC conducted on the existing of the child
labour in Cibaduyut Footwear Central in Bandung in April 1999. The
rapid assessment found out that over 1000 child labour involved
in the footwear production process and got in touched with varied
dangerous chemical ingredients which harm their mental, moral, knowledge
and physic on the later date. Their involvement in the footwear
production process has been going on since 1920-ies.
The result of the rapid assessment then is implemented
in a form of the child labour elimination programme in the footwear
sector in Indonesia, which the first phase was started in December
1999 until 2001. This programme was implemented in Cibaduyut Footwear
Central, which covered five sub-districts in Bandung and three villages
in Bandung Regency. Those sub-districts and villages are: Kebon
Lega, Mekarwangi, Cibaduyut, Cibaduyut Wetan, Cibaduyut Kidul, Cangkuang
Wetan, Cangkuang Kulon, and Sukamenak. The programme's objective
is to eliminate child labour systematically by using method of withdrawing
the child labour withdrawal from bengkel (their working environment),
preventing children to enter the work place in early age and rehabilitation
for the child labour that have been withdrawn. The programme is
also aimed to develop varied things, which can give contribution
to prevent the involvement of children in the footwear process production
through productive machines and working environment condition development.
In the first phase period, the project has implemented
many collaboration programmes with all child labour stakeholders
(government, workers, employers, universities, mass media, guru,
NGOs, working children parents and local community). The collaborations
were conducted in varied forms such as baseline survey, research,
campaign, the strengthening of the ex-child labour skill, formal
and non formal education services, better health services, the establishment
and strengthening local community organizations up to the working
environment infrastructure development and the community based monitoring
development. Besides the action programme, ILO also has signed the
Memorandum of Understanding with Banding government in effort to
increase the health services through free medical check-ups at the
local government clinic and hospital for child labour who get working
injuries.
ILO/IPEC is also conducting a monitoring on the
child labour who work in bengkel and the condition of the bengkels.
This monitoring programme is conducted 4 days a week. In doing the
monitoring, the ILO/IPEC staffs are also doing a brainstorming with
the bengkel's owner or the tukang (adult employees) about all the
related things on the Indonesia human resource development through
withdrawing, prevention and rehabilitation of child labour in the
footwear sector.
The collected data from the monitoring programme
then processed into a database, which can be accessed by public.
The result of the database is also widespread regularly to the all
stakeholders to have their response and input.
Through varied action programmes and collaboration,
the number of the child labour in Bandung is decreasing. Many initiatives
come from the community such as the establishment of local organizations,
mainstreaming the community's activities with the child labour issue
through scholarship, etc.
Many works is done and going and many still need
to be developed. In the second phase, ILO/IPEC will develop more
programmes, particularly in changing the community culture, which
is involving the children in the footwear production process to
become a new culture, which involved the children in all the human
resources development resources activities that will save the future
of the children on the later date. That is the main point of the
project.
