All is not lost: Child labor has declined worldwide

AFTER a decade of one of the largest social reform movements ever seen, the end of child labor is now within grasp.

Spearheaded by the International Labor Organization (ILO), there is an encouraging reduction in child labor, especially its worst forms.

If the current trends continue, the ILO says, child labor in its worst forms may be eliminated within the next decade.

In 2006, the number of child laborers worldwide fell to 28 million, fewer than in 2002.

The sharpest decline is in hazardous work by children between the ages of 5 and 14.

The ILO’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC), started in 1992, is operational in 86 countries with an annual expenditure of over $70 million.

It is the largest program of its kind anywhere in the world and the biggest single operation program of the ILO.

Through local authorities, IPEC reaches children in the underground economy and small and medium businesses that provide the bulk of employment.

It promotes getting children out of work and into school.

Around 5 million children have benefited from IPEC.

The ILO estimates the cost of eliminating child labor at $760 billion over a 20-year period. The benefit in terms of better education and health: over US$4 trillion, or a net benefit of nearly 6 to 1.– Source ILO