NEWS FROM THE CAMPAIGN TO STOP CHILD LABOUR
 FIRST, A BIG THANK YOU

First of all a big thank you to those of you who have passed on the petition to their friends, colleagues and family! And welcome the many people who have joined since the last campaign update.

We have now received thousands of signatures from 79 countries all over
the world. But this is not yet enough to convince governments and companies to  stop using child labour. We need your continued help and support in our fight.

Therefore, we'd like to ask people receiving this newsletter for the first time to spread the word about the petition. And we'd like to ask those of you who have already signed to continue spreading the word! At the end of this email you'll find a message to distribute about signing the petition. You can distribute it by email, add it to your signature file or pass on the web link. Every signature raises a voice against child
labour. Thanks again for your continued support.

PROGRESS ON THE PETITION CAMPAIGN

On May 1st the Democratic Republic of Congo launched their Child Labour campaign and we have already received hundreds of signatures. We look forward to their continued efforts and to receiving many more signatures on our petition against child labour.

The All Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions is pressing the Pakistani government to ratify ILO convention 138 and 182 and are working hard to collect signatures for the petition. Their support and solidarity on this issue is especially needed in Pakistan where child labour levels are among the highest in the world.

FEATURE: HELPING CHILD DOMESTIC WORKERS IN BANGLADESH

One of the worst forms of child labour, domestic work, is widespread in Bangladesh. With much tact and patience, an NGO has succeeded in convincing their employers to allow their little slaves to attend classes for two hours a day. A glimmer of hope for thousands of children...

WORRYING UN STATISTICS

UNICEF recently released a report highlighting the sexual exploitation and
trafficking of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of women and children  Many victims are forced to work as prostitutes while others are sold to sweatshops or forced to join begging gangs, although the report also said the full scale of the problem was difficult to assess.  However the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates up to 300,000 women and children are trapped in "slavery-like" conditions in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the two southern Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi.

 http://www.unicef.org
 http://www.iom.int

VIDEO COMING OUT LATER IN THE YEAR

The ICFTU is preparing a video and report precisely on the topic of the sexual exploitation of children in Eastern Asia. The video will be released in time for the UN General Assembly on the Special Rights of the Child. Subscribers to the Child Labour News service will be able to order copies of the video.

FIGHTING CHILD LABOUR THROUGH THE UN

From June 11-15 the ICFTU will be participating in the preparatory meeting of the September General Assembly on the Rights of the Child. There we will push an alternative draft agenda that speaks about stopping child labour. We are very disappointed that the current draft document references to child  labour are very weak, and the ICFTU will be lobbying governments and UNICEF to strengthen their commitment to ending child labour.
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MESSAGE TO DISTRIBUTE ABOUT THE CHILD LABOUR PETITION
Sign the Child Labour petition! Your vote counts!

The ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) launched a worldwide Campaign To Stop Child Labour. One of the actions they undertake as part of the campaign is a petition. It will be presented to governments, employers and the IMF and World Bank later this year. Signing this petition is your vote against child labour! Please spread this message as widely as possible!

 You can sign the petition in one of three ways:
1. sending the petition text (BELOW) by email (filled in with your NAME and COUNTRY) to [email protected]

2. sign the petition on the Website:
 http://www.icftu.org/petition.asp

3. Copy the petition and have as many people as possible sign the petition and send it back to the ICFTU. The address is:
Child Labour Campaign, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions,
Boulevard du Roi Albert II 5, B - 1210 Brussels, Belgium

                                                 The petition

Yes, I am signing this petition, which is my vote against child labour and for education for all children, decent jobs and respect for workers and trade union rights for adults, calling on:

* All governments to say YES to education for all children and NO to
child labour, by ratifying and implementing ILO Child Labour Conventions
138 and 182.
The IMF and the World Bank to make sure that their programmes increase access to education, rather than causing governments to slash education budgets.
* Employers to stop hiring children. Those children who are working should be taken out of work, rehabilitated and brought into school.

Employers, governments and international institutions to provide decent jobs for adults and respect the right of workers to organise.

 1. My Name:
 2. My Country:
 3. I want to be kept informed about future campaign news by
     e-mail (YES or NO):

For more information visit: http://www.icftu.org