A broad package of measures is needed to eliminate child labour. Moreover, the EU member states must work together to achieve this objective. This was the appeal made by the Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen in a hearing of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament.

‘According to an ILO report published today, there are still more than 200 million child labourers in the world. The sad conclusion is that almost no progress has been made in tackling this issue in recent years. The Netherlands advocates a broad package of measures. We must seize every opportunity to put an end to this state of affairs,’ the minister said.

Mr Verhagen proposed that the EU take action on a number of fronts. The issue of child labour should be tabled in all political dialogues with countries where it is prevalent. More money must be earmarked from the development budget to combat child labour and enable children to go to school. A certification system could be devised to ensure that businesses take their responsibility in this matter. EU grants can also be made conditional. These measures are already part of Dutch policy.

As the final component of a comprehensive action plan, the minister outlined the possibility of banning the sale of products made using the worst forms of child labour. The Netherlands and the ILO are hosting a conference on child labour in The Hague today and tomorrow.



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