In agricultural supply chains, if smallholder/family farmers can be supported in making basic improvements in safety and health standards, then much of what is currently regarded as “hazardous child labour”^[1] could be reclassified as “decent youth employment.” Simple improvements in safety and health risk management can be made to address the hazards of certain tobacco and agriculture youth employment activities currently classified as illegal on the national (government) hazardous child labour lists for any child under 18 (and where the farmer using/employing children on such activities - could be subject to criminal sanction, i.e. fines and/or imprisonment).

The Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation (ECLT), based in Geneva, currently operates five comprehensive projects in tobacco-growing areas in Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kyrgyzstan, assisting communities and district governments to eliminate hazardous child labour, and prevent all forms of child labour. The ECLT Foundation has added policy and advocacy activities to its project implementation agenda. Recently, the Foundation sponsored a national conference on child labour in agriculture in Malawi, a visible event convened by government, including labour, agriculture, social protection, ILO, International organisations, trade unions, tobacco growers associations, tobacco companies, and civil society.

The proposed session focuses on one of the on-going efforts following on the agreements of the national Malawi conference, aimed at influencing public policy: the promotion of Youth Employment in agriculture by addressing conditions that contribute to hazardous child labour. The session will also describe ECLT Foundation’s approaches to improving livelihoods of farmers, ensure education for children, and build capacity in governments, multiple stakeholders, and local communities to sustain systems and practices that protect children in tobacco-growing areas.

[1] Employers’ and Workers’ Handbook on Hazardous Child Labour. ILO ACTEMP and ILO ACTRAV, Geneva, 2011