The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has joined forces with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to release draft guidance on tackling the contentious issue of child labour in fisheries.
Most experts agree that there is widespread child labour issue in fisheries, but the specifics are lacking. And there is a lack of distinction between work performed by children and child labour which the report says needs to be made clearer.
Rolf Willman, senior fisheries policy officer at FAO, said to World Fishing: “The FAO-ILO Best Practice Guide on Addressing Child Labour in Fisheries and Aquaculture translates principles of international declarations and conventions into concrete actions that can be taken.
It aims to provide guidance to governments in the task of withdrawing trafficked children working in fisheries, eradicating slavery and forced labour, and provide counselling to trafficked children and their parents along with vocational training and education to prevent a return to child labour.”
Activities that children engage in can range from herding fish into nets, peeling shellfish, cleaning fish and repairing nets.
The two organisations are currently seeking feedback for the draft guidance with a view to the final version being published next year.
Feedback can be given up until 30 April 2012. More information from: http://www.fao-ilo.org
