From 22 to 23 June 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Alliance 8.7 will host a two-day consultative meeting on child labor and forced labor in sub-Saharan Africa, in preparation for the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labor scheduled for November 2017 in Argentina.
ADDIS ABABA/ABIDJAN (ILO News) – The first regional dialogue on child labor and forced labor in sub-Saharan Africa, facilitated by the International Labor Organization (ILO), will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 22-23 June 2017 at Elilly Hotel.
More than 80 participants from Sub-Saharan Africa will attend the Addis Ababa Forum, including Governments’ delegates and representatives of trade unions and employers’ organizations from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This high-level interactive platform will be held in the presence of H.E. Mr. Abdulfatah Abdullahi, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Ethiopia, Mr Aeneas C. Chuma, Assistant Director-General of the ILO and Regional Director for Africa, as well as senior representatives from the Africa Union Institutions, Regional economic communities, UN agencies and other international organizations, civil society, the private sector, youth and academia.
The main objective of the consultation is to identify common challenges, priorities and good practices in eliminating child labor and forced labor in sub Saharan Africa in preparation for the IV Global Conference (Argentina, 14-16 November 2017) and to provide a forum to discuss operationalization of Alliance 8.7 in Africa and to provide concrete recommendations on the way forward.
The ILO estimates that globally there are 21 million men, women and children suffering as victims of forced labor and human trafficking for labor exploitation. Africa has the second largest number of victims, 3.7 million (18 per cent of the total). The total illicit profits generated by the use of forced labor worldwide amounts to $150 billion per year.
It further estimates there are 168 million girls and boys working in situations of child labor. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest incidence of child labor with 59 million (21.4 per cent) children aged 5- 17 years in child labor.
Addis Ababa 2017 on Child and Forced Labor will ultimately contribute to further consolidating regional commitment to accelerate the pace of elimination of child labor and forced labor in Africa, in order to secure its end by 2025 and 2030 respectively as required in Target 8.7 of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
For more detailed information, please contact: ILO Regional Office for Africa, Guebray Berhane | +225 87905779 | guebray@ilo.org
Background
Alliance 8.7, a Global Alliance to eradicate forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labor, was created to bring all concerned parties together to join forces in achieving target 8.7. The goals of Alliance 8.7 are to: (i) accelerate action, (ii) conduct research and share knowledge, (iii) drive innovation and (iv) increase and leverage resources.
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO)