Latest news with #InternationalLabourOrganization
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
‘60% of all child labour globally is in agri sector'
1 2 Michiko Miyamoto, the director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) talks to TOI's Kritika Tiwary on the global and local dimensions of child labour, prevailing challenges and interventions to eliminate child labour in line with global development goals. Excerpts... Globally, what's the current trend of child labour? We are seeing a downward trend. However, this progress is uneven and fragile. The last major increase occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a serious setback. The most recent global estimates show a reduction from 160 million children in 2020 to 138 million in 2024. What are the sector-wise trends? Which sector is the most affected? The agriculture sector remains the most dominant, accounting for nearly 60% of all child labour globally. It is followed by industries and services. Agriculture is particularly difficult to regulate due to its informal and scattered nature, especially in rural areas, making inspection and enforcement challenging. What changes have been observed in the context of child labour in India in recent years? In India, there has been a notable shift. Many big brands have cleaned up their formal supply chains due to global scrutiny and awareness. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Høreproblemer? Bliv en del af AudioNova's gratis testpanel, hvis du er født før 1970 Audionova Lær mere Undo However, child labour persists in the informal sectors, particularly in agriculture and small-scale family-based enterprises. There has been progress in public awareness but hidden forms of child labour remain a major concern, especially in rural and tribal belts. What are the major causes, especially in India? The root causes are poverty, lack of access to quality education and weak social protection systems. When families are economically vulnerable, there are no safety nets and children are often forced to work. Cultural factors like child marriage and gender also perpetuate child labour. Women education and empowerment play a vital role and an educated mother is more likely to prioritize schooling for her children. Are the existing national or state action plans in combating it effective? Action plans are crucial. They reflect the official commitment of the govt and provide a structured roadmap for all stakeholders. For instance, Jharkhand had a state action plan from 2012 to 2016, but no updated version was released after that. However, after consistent dialogue, the state labour department has recently agreed to revive and update the plan and the draft of the new plan is ready for launch. With proper implementation, budgeting and coordination, such plans can bring systemic and sustained change.
India Today
4 days ago
- Health
- India Today
How heat stress threatens the workplace
Heat stress should not be taken lightly: Heat stress can be defined as the sum of environmental and metabolic heat loads, which increases an individual's core body temperature (CBT) that may potentially cause physiological decrements. The International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that over 70 per cent of workers globally are at risk of heat stress due to exposure to excessive heat. In addition to immediate health risks like heat fatigue, heatstroke, cardiovascular issues and electrolyte imbalances, workers may also suffer from long-term injuries that affect their health for same ILO report also says almost 26.2 million people worldwide are living with chronic kidney disease caused by heat stress at work, accounting for about three per cent of all chronic kidney disease cases. Excessive heat can also lead to mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression and mental fatigue, which can increase the likelihood of workplace ILO's latest report, Heat at Work: Implications for Safety and Health: A Global Review of the Science, Policy, and Practice, shows workplace exposure to excessive heat is particularly high in Africa (92.9%), the Arab states (83.6%), and Asia and the Pacific (74.7%). The report also says Africa and the Americas have the highest proportions of occupational injuries linked to excessive heat, with 7.2% and 6.7% of all occupational injuries, the worst in India: In India, the situation is especially dire. Most industrial workplaces regularly hit temperatures of 40C to 45C, yet there are no clear or enforceable national standards for regulating workplace heat. Unfortunately, nearly 75 per cent of the Indian workforce—around 380 million people—rely on jobs that expose them to high heat conditions. In 2024, India endured one of its most prolonged and intense summers, with temperatures soaring past 50C (122F) in several regions. 2025 continues to be the same, with the World Bank estimating that India is set to become one of the first regions where heat waves could surpass the threshold of human No labour laws exist for heat stress in India: Although heat-related regulations exist worldwide, current legislation often remains too general to address the growing risks effectively. India's labour laws currently have no specific provisions to protect workers from extreme heat. However, in recent years, many other countries have started updating their regulations and introducing new laws in response to these threats and the latest scientific the Heat at Work report outlines, the ILO's analysis of legislation from 21 countries identifies standard provisions in national occupational safety and health (OSH) responses. These include participatory risk assessments that address excessive heat, targeted strategies for high-risk workers, use of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) as a heat stress indicator, hydration strategies, rest and modified schedules to limit heat exposure, cool rest areas, heat acclimatisation measures, appropriate personal protective equipment, education and awareness initiatives, and regular health need to address the situation: To begin with, prevention and control strategies for heat stress in the workplace must be strengthened to address the complexities of modern heat challenges. Excessive heat is a severe issue affecting workers, public health and the environment. Climate change and heat-related initiatives must include OSH to coordinate a response. Addressing workplace heat stress effectively will require governments, businesses, labour groups, global organisations, OSH networks and nonprofits to exchange expertise, resources and proven heat-related exposures and injuries occur not just during heat waves, so it is essential to implement preventive measures whenever heat risks are present, rather than only during extreme weather events. Affordable and practical solutions must be designed and prioritised, especially for informal work settings and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Thankfully, many protective measures are both cost-effective and straightforward. Ensuring proper hydration, providing rest breaks in cool, shaded spaces, adjusting work hours and implementing heat acclimatisation programmes can significantly lower risks without incurring high need participation at all levels: OSH management systems must incorporate measures to prevent and control heat stress, with workplace assessments that actively involve workers. Social dialogue should be the foundation of all actions to combat excessive heat. Engaging stakeholders at all levels, with meaningful participation from workers and their representatives, is key to creating and implementing effective heat stress policies since workers can offer invaluable insights into the daily risks they face. As the risk to worker safety from heat escalates, prioritising focused research and enhancing global understanding to drive coordinated, evidence-driven actions is to India Today Magazine- EndsTrending Reel
Scoop
4 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
NZ Government Out Of Touch On Employment Rights
The commitment at the 113th International Labour Organization conference to develop a binding Convention for securing decent work in the platform economy shows how disconnected and out of touch the New Zealand government is when it comes to employment rights. 'This decision is a huge step towards establishing internationally recognised labour rights for digital platform workers,' said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges. 'This is the mandate for much-needed regulation of digital labour platforms and by doing so, ensuring that innovation is not achieved at the expense of workers' rights. 'It's really telling, that while the international community comes together to support platform workers, Brooke van Velden has introduced a new Employment Relations Amendment Bill that will undermine the rights of those very workers in Aotearoa. 'Her Bill, which intends to misclassify workers as contractors and remove their legal right to challenge their employment status in court, is a severe undermining of worker rights. It is completely out of touch, and the Bill must be voted down', said Ansell-Bridges.
LBCI
6 days ago
- Business
- LBCI
No jobs, no future: Lebanon's youth work multiple jobs—or leave
Report by Mirna Daou, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Young people in Lebanon are struggling to find work, with many left with no choice but to emigrate or remain unemployed. Official figures indicate that the unemployment rate in Lebanon exceeded 35% in 2023 and 2024, with youth unemployment—among those aged 15 to 24—comprising a significant portion of that figure. But why is age 15 included in unemployment statistics? According to the International Labour Organization, anyone between the ages of 15 and 24 who is neither in school, working, nor receiving vocational training is considered unemployed—and therefore counted in the unemployment rate. An increase in this category often signals deeper social and economic crises, such as a weak labor market, a failing education system, or broader social instability. UNICEF reports that one-third of Lebanese youth have dropped out of university, and 31% of those who left school are neither working nor training. Among those who do find work, 40% are forced to hold two or three jobs just to make ends meet, according to the UNDP. For many, emigration has become the only option. According to Information International, approximately 640,000 Lebanese emigrated between 2016 and 2024—70% of whom were university graduates. These are the skilled professionals Lebanon invested in—those meant to build the country's future. So far, there are no signs of improvement from authorities, especially as the government continues to delay the reforms required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These reforms are considered essential for attracting investment, creating jobs, and providing young people with a reason to stay.
Daily Maverick
19-06-2025
- Daily Maverick
War is good for business — the nexus between organised crime and sexual violence in conflict
Sexual violence in conflict does not arise from opportunistic violence. Instead, it is organised, calculated and embedded in the business models of criminal groups. Sexual violence in conflict is not incidental, but a deliberate, profit-driven violence embedded in the business models of organised crime, thriving on weak global accountability and a fragmented international response. For years, academics and activists around the globe have evaluated the cost of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), which is estimated at $1.5-trillion globally a year. Despite this staggering figure, sexual violence continues to devastate communities, and persists in peacetime, during conflict and after conflict. Emerging research shows that sexual violence has become increasingly profitable. According to the International Labour Organization's 2024 report, human trafficking generates an estimated $236-billion in annual profits, a 37% increase since 2014. Forced commercial sexual exploitation accounts for more than 73% of these total illegal profits. Eurídice Márquez, a specialist at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, says that areas facing economic crises and instability increase the risk of vulnerable populations falling victim to human trafficking, particularly regarding high rates of sexual exploitation, sexual enslavement, forced marriage and the recruitment and exploitation of child soldiers. Sexual violence in conflict does not arise from opportunistic violence. Instead, it is organised, calculated and embedded in the business models of criminal groups. According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, conflicts involving organised crime groups accounted for 79% of the total deaths in non-state conflicts. Despite a decline in overall deaths from organised violence in 2023 since rising in 2020, the figure remains extremely high and a record high since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The result is an insidious continuation of conflict where sexual violence remains not only tolerated but also incentivised. Conflict not only generates and facilitates violence, but also creates a lucrative market for criminal economies, involving all conflict actors, including state actors and rebel groups, as complicit beneficiaries. Organised crime groups, including transnational gangs and enterprises, focus primarily on economic gain rather than political objectives during conflict. This fuels global illicit dealings, posing threats to bodily integrity and international security. Human trafficking occurs in almost every country in the world, but it is particularly rampant during and after conflict. This crime involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of individuals by means such as abduction, abusing power and vulnerability, deceiving, coercing, committing fraud, using force or paying benefits to individuals or groups controlling victims for exploitation. Illegal activities flourish in conflict zones because of their high-profit, low-risk environment. These conditions arise from fragmented state resources, the breakdown of law and order and chaos, leading to low-risk opportunities and greed. Also, the high profitability of various commodities during conflict raises the profile of sexual trafficking and human trafficking alongside drug trafficking. Organised criminal groups exploit displaced individuals, missing people and those experiencing food, housing and educational insecurity, profiting from what conflict leaves most vulnerable: human lives. The International Organization for Migration reports that 72% of human trafficking victims are women and girls. For millions of women and girls, the social, economic and political precarity during conflict makes them commodities in the global criminal marketplace. Increasingly, boys are exposed to sexual exploitation and the devastation of conflict-related sexual violence, but this continues to go underreported and unseen. This leaves the experiences of men, boys and individuals who identify outside the male-female binary marginalised. Organised crime involving sexual violence encompasses the criminal exploitation of individuals, often through coercion, manipulation or deception, to engage in sexual activity. Sextortion definitions are often corporatised, with research focused on the 'peacetime' environment, concerning young job-seekers, the workplace, universities and the targeting of teenagers and university students on online platforms. However, sextortion is also visible during conflict, masked in the phenomena of child marriages, forced marriages, abductions and recruitment. From the Hope for Justice investigations and casework it was identified that 'the diversification into human smuggling and trafficking is a simple business decision for [the crime groups] who have no regard for human life and make no distinction between drugs and human commodities'. Organised crime influences armed conflicts by increasing tensions and competition for illicit profits and territorial control. Therefore, in many circumstances, the end of conflict is not profitable. At present, the global response is fragmented. Sextortion, sexual trafficking and conflict-related sexual violence are treated as separate issues. Accountability mechanisms are weak, with few international frameworks targeting the intersection of organised crime and gendered violence during conflict. While prosecuting sexual crimes has progressed (albeit slowly), disputes over definitions, case selection and heard and unheard voices persist. International treaties and principles must recognise the role of organised crime and how conflict has become a marketplace for illicit activity. More investment in research in this nexus is necessary to develop interventions for addressing and eliminating sexual violence in conflict. We need accountability mechanisms involving anti-trafficking efforts to follow the networks profiting from conflict-related sexual violence, and dismantle this economy of violence. DM
