BANGKOK, 6 NOVEMBER 2024 – Representatives of relevant ASEAN bodies gathered in Bangkok from 4-6 November for the Inter-Sectoral Workshop on the Monitoring and Implementation of the ASEAN Roadmap for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2025 and the Follow-Up to the ASEAN Declaration on Prevention of Child Labour, including Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Representatives of the International Labour Organization and U.S. Department of Labor-funded Addressing Labour Exploitation in Fishing in ASEAN (ALFA) Project, international organisations, employers’ and workers’ organisations, and relevant NGOs were also in attendance.
At the workshop, participants took the opportunity to share progress on the implementation of the ASEAN Roadmap, success stories of ASEAN Member States, and areas of gap that need to be addressed in post-2025. They further shared insights on the nexus of child labour and global supply chains, public private partnerships, and cross-ministerial public budgeting for child labour elimination. Participants discussed measures to curb child labour in hard-to-reach sectors such as mining, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and online exploitation. Meanwhile, national strategies were shared including school-to-work transition, access to education for children in hard-to-reach sectors and remote areas, and greater investment in social protection.
The workshop provided useful feedback for the development of the post-2025 ASEAN Roadmap which will also serve as an implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on Prevention of Child Labour, including Worst Forms of Child Labour adopted by the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits this month.
Hosted by the Ministry of Labour of Thailand together with the Thailand’s Children Representative for the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) and with the support of the ASEAN Secretariat, ILO and ALFA Project, the workshop was attended by over 100 delegates on site and online. ASEAN bodies responsible for labour standards and inspection, child protection, human rights, anti-trafficking, agriculture, education, rural development and poverty education, social welfare and statistics were represented.