Geneva - In December 2015, the ECLT Foundation joined members of the Child Labour Platforms as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE) launched a new tool for business on child labour:
How to do business with respect for children’s right to be free from child labour: ILO-IOE child labour guidance tool for business.
These Guidelines aim to be a useful for different kinds of companies, from large multinationals, to small and medium sized businesses looking to strengthen their efforts against child labour and any company that works directly with communities. They provide practical input on how improve global supply chain governance, due diligence and remediation processes to advance the progressive elimination of child labour.
The ECLT Foundation contributed to these key discussions by how these guidelines can be translated to work on the ground, especially sharing experiences on working with small holder farmers to identify and find ways to mitigate risks in their work.
As part of the Child Labour Platform, the ECLT Foundation works with leaders from the private, public, and civil sector discussing how to tackle child labour in supply chains. The platform, which is a joint initiative of the UN Global Compact and the International Labour Organization (ILO), brings together a variety of stakeholders and sectors twice a year with a focus on best practice sharing to eliminate and prevent child labour.
Other key topics were covered in December's meeting, including a look at the role of investors in eliminating child labour in supply chains and a practical training on risk assessment with regards to hazardous work.
The Child Labour Platform represents a unique opportunity, especially in the context of the SDGs, to foster multi-stakeholder engagement across sectors and industries. This was highlighted in a panel on Alliance 8.7, which brings together broad stakeholders from all sectors to work toward the realization of SDG 8, on ending child labour and modern slavery.