With 115 million children still caught in hazardous child labour, the elimination of the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) by 2016 is more important than ever before. In 2006, the International Labour Conference, concerned about the slow pace of eradicating child labour among its member States, set the 2016 target in order to focus attention on the worst forms, of which hazardous work is the largest part. In doing so, it urged the countries to adhere to the commitments they had made when ratifying ILO Convention No. 182 to address the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency. In recognition of this urgency and of World Day Against Child Labour 2011, a meeting of implementing agencies was held in Washington DC on 2nd June entitled “Creating Safe Futures”. It was sponsored by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) and the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to emphasize the fact that hazardous child labour is of common concern to those in both the labour and health fields and that prevention, protection and rehabilitation of children engaged in hazardous work requires a joint effort.
This meeting was an opportunity for the agencies to share experience in addressing hazardous child labour, to consider new approaches, and to explore how to work together to expand global efforts to eliminate hazardous child labour. This compilation captures the ideas discussed in this meeting as well as additional “good practices” of others that are worthy of attention.