The Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, known in short as the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, was adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1999 as ILO Convention No 182.

By ratifying this Convention No. 182, a country commits itself to taking immediate action to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour. The Convention is enjoying the fastest pace of ratifications in the ILO's history since 1919.

The ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) is responsible for assisting countries in this regard as well as monitoring compliance. One of the methods used by IPEC to assist countries in this regard are Time-bound Programmes.

The ILO also adopted the Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation No 190 in 1999. This recommendation contains, among others, recommendations on the types of hazards that should be considered for inclusion within a country-based definition of Worst Form Hazards faced by Children at Work.

Predefined worst forms of child labour

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Convention 182 includes forms of child labour, which are predefined worst forms of child labour. They are also sometimes referred to as automatic worst forms of child labour.

The predefined worst forms of child labour are:

• all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as
  • the sale of a child;
  • trafficking of children, meaning the recruitment of children to do work far away from home and from the care of their families, in circumstances within which they are exploited;
  • debt bondage or any other form of bonded labour or serfdom;
  • forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
• Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), including the use, procuring or offering of a child for:
  • prostitution, or
  • the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;
• use, procuring or offering of a child by others for illegal activities, also known as children used by adults in the commission of crime (CUBAC), including the trafficking or production of drugs.

Worst form hazards: To be defined by each ratifying country

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The last category of worst form of child labour is work which by its nature or the circumstances is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children, or Worst Form Hazards faced by Children at Work. Here the Convention recommends that the circumstances should be determined in consultation with organisations of employers and workers within a specific country. The Convention recommends that programmes of action should attend specifically to younger children, the girl child, hidden work situation in which girls are at special risk, and other groups of children with special vulnerabilities or needs.

Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation No 190 contains recommendations on the types of hazards that should be considered to be included within a country-based definition of worst form hazards.

See also

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List of the worst forms of child labour (ILO convention)

External links

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• Text of Convention No 182
• Text of Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation No 190
• Frequently Asked Questions about Convention No. 182 and Recommendation No. 190 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
• List of countries that have ratified the convention
• ILO Further documents on Worst Form Hazards

Child labour | International Labour Organization Conventions | Worst forms of child labour