Durban, May 19, 2022 – The Fifth World Conference on Child Labour was officially opened last Sunday in Durban, South Africa. It is being hosted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the South African government. For the first time, the program includes a children's forum where working children will discuss their perspectives and recommendations with adult decision-makers.
For several years, Kindernothilfe and terre des hommes have been working together on the Dialogue Works campaign to ensure that the right of working children to participate in policy dialogues is realized. "For years, we have been in dialogue with the ILO about the need not only to talk about working children, but also to give them a voice at events like this conference. We are therefore all the more pleased that, for the first time, five children from our children's committees in Zambia, Kenya, and Guatemala are participating in the discussions here in Durban. It was high time that those who, as working children, have the most to say, finally had their voices heard. They speak from their own experience and bring a practical and nuanced perspective on their work to the political arena," says Antje Ruhmann, children's rights officer at terre des hommes and co-coordinator of the campaign. Many working children emphasize the importance of distinguishing between exploitation and child labor: light work often makes attending school possible in the first place. However, there is agreement that all forms of exploitation must be ended as quickly as possible, as they harm the development of children and prevent them from attending school.
The conference agenda includes important topics such as education, social security, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and child labor in supply chains. "The Children's Forum is an important first step in translating these issues into practical policy measures from the children's perspective. Looking ahead, we believe that permanent and institutionally anchored child participation is essential to achieving greater long-term impact," summarizes Lea Kulakow, Advocacy Officer for Kindernothilfe and Co-Coordinator of Dialogue Works. This aligns with the wishes of child laborers: "Millions of children have the same dreams, but not the same opportunities to realize them," explains Lupupa from Zambia, who is attending such a conference for the first time. "We need more opportunities to participate in the political process." He will advocate for this as a delegate at the Children's Forum on Thursday. Those interested can follow the forum via the conference livestream.
Dialogue Works (2020-2024) is a campaign by Kindernothilfe and terre des hommes that supports working children from 15 countries in participating in policy dialogues at the local to global level. In the predecessor project, "Time to Talk!", nearly 2,000 working children from 36 countries were initially interviewed about their perspectives on their work. This formed the basis for the subsequent policy dialogues. This work is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).