Speech at Oslo Conference on Child Labour

Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen !

Work is a necessity and a blessing.

It is a neccesity because it means bread for tomorrow. And it is a blessing because it means realizing man´s creative potential and the fulfillment of one´s identity and role as a member of society.

But it can also be a scourge and the source of endless suffering. That is what child labour is all about. Make no mistake - for children to participate in work-activities can be a rewarding experience too. Working alongside parents in this way is an important part of learning, acquiring skills and of coming of age. That is not what is at stake here. What we are discussing is the labour that turns children into instruments and robots, the degrading toil which steals from the children their very childhood, which deprives them of the most important tool to break the poverty circle - education. It must be brought to an end.

It is no easy task. By all accounts child labour is not about to disappear. We need to sensitize public opinion and mobilize the political will to go to the roots of the problem – and above all – to do something about it. The impressive presence here today of ministers and high level government delegates, internationally renowned experts, representatives from trade unions and employers’ organizations, and NGOs, clearly demonstrates the growing international concern about the problem of child labour. It is proof of our common will to contribute to the long-term goal of eliminating child labour.

But first and foremost we must act and see to it that our knowledge and insight in the problem is translated into programmes and measures that can make a difference out there where it really counts - where millions of children at this very moment are being deprived of what we take for granted - growing up in a environment where you are free to develop your physical, intellectual and spiritual talents. Here the action plan which the conference is set to adopt, provides us with an important tool. It is now up to us to see to it that it is translated into national strategies and implemented. We all share the responsibility for making it a reality.

From this conference, we shall, I trust, come away with a new political commitment and an action plan. These steps represent important progress since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted at the World Summit for Children in 1990. During the Summit, the world’s political leaders committed themselves and their countries to improving living conditions for children. Since then, this expression of solidarity with the weakest of the weak has gained worldwide support by the almost universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention has given us the best possible document for guiding our work for children, in our countries and at this conference. What we recognized and had in mind then, should continue to guide us.

Distinguished delegates;
A hundred years ago Norway was one of the poorest countries in Europe. Child labour was commonplace in what we refer to as the informal sector. Today child labour in Norway is overall a thing of the past. It has disappeared as a problem with development of a modern economy and the establishment of a socially oriented welfare state.

I say this because there is no doubt that the singularly most important cause for child labour is the persistence in many countries of poverty. Poverty is the greatest threat to the child’s right to survival and development. Poverty is the root cause of lack of schooling, insufficient nutrition, and inadequate health care. Poverty leads to the exploitation of children as labourers, and to sexual exploitation. Therefore, the struggle against the exploitation of children, and the fight for children’s rights, is part of the overall fight against poverty.

Investing in development, should also mean investing in children - not least in their education. This is not only an ethical and a social imperative for all societies, but it also makes good economic sense. Extensive use of child labour is not only devastating for the children concerned, it also slows down economic and social development.

Thus poverty not only lies at the root of child labour. Child labour contributes to and perpetuates it. In this sense poverty is both the cause and the consequence of child labour. It is this vicious circle which must be broken. Investment in children today, especially in their education, is the best form of long-term poverty reduction. It is also the best tool to prevent and combat child labour. Such investment not only helps the individual child now and in the future, but also its family, the local community, and the nation. Priority should therefore be given to policies that make education a viable and rewarding option for all children. Children belong in schools not in crowded factories. Major efforts to increase the accessibility, quality and affordability of primary education are urgently needed. I would particularly like to mention the World Bank reports and other research documents that have shown us that it is girls’ education that gives the highest development effect, even in strict economic terms. There is now a growing understanding of the multiplier effect of education given to girls and women. For Norway girls' education will therefore continue to be a matter of high priority. It is the policy of my Government to increase the proportion of our development cooperation budget for education to 10 per cent by the year 2000, with a further increase to 15 per cent after that.

Child labour cannot be addressed as an isolated problem, nor should programmes and projects addressing child labour primarily focus on specific sectors or types of work. Such programmes and projects should be part of more comprehensive social development policies and national plans.

The obligation to develop and implement policies, legislation and other measures for the elimination of child labour rests with the Government of each country. Very few countries in the world, if any, are economically unable to intensify their efforts to combat child labour. I hope that the political will to act will grow in all countries, especially in those with the greatest incidence of child labour. At the same time a close dialogue between authorities and civil society is needed. Viable solutions and sustainable results must take into consideration the opinions and experience of children, parents and local communities. Indeed, children themselves should be heard when decisions about their future are being taken.

While preventive measures are generally recognized as the most cost-effective means to combat child labour, we must not forget those children who already work. Our highest priority should be the immediate removal and rehabilitation of the youngest children and of children who are exposed to the most intolerable forms of child labour.

International cooperation is required to support governments in their struggle against poverty and child labour. The Convention on the Rights of the Child puts special obligations on wealthier nations. It obliges the richer countries to do more for children than the Convention's minimum standards require. It also obliges them to contribute to the implementation of the Convention in developing countries.

The Norwegian Government is ready to take on its responsibility flowing from the Convention and the action programme. In close cooperation with our development partners, we will contribute actively and substantively to the reduction of child labour. Poverty reduction is a primary objective in Norwegian development cooperation. We support the 20/20 initiative in order to encourage a larger share of aid budgets and national budgets to be used for basic social programmes, including basic education and primary health care.

At the same time, we will increase our specific efforts to address the situation of the many working children in developing countries. Multilateral agencies, in particular the ILO, UNICEF and the World Bank, will be our main partners. We will also invite our main partner countries in development cooperation to a continued dialogue on the issue of child labour, and invite new ideas for an enhanced effort in this area. I am pleased to announce that my Government intends to make available up to 200 million Norwegian kroner for child labour specific activities over the next three years. This will be in addition to our enhanced programmes in education.

The new government is strongly committed to solidarity and reaching out to those less fortunate – be it at home or abroad. In the government´s declaration which was debated in the Parliament a few days ago, we stated our intention to increase the percentage of the GNP set aside anually for development assistance, to 1 %. It will give us new possibilities to engage even more actively in combatting child labour.

Distinguished delegates;
About a month ago right here in Oslo the text for a convention on the banning of land mines was adopted. It will be opened for signatures in Ottawa in the beginning of December. It is the product of a process where governments, voluntary organizations, individuals and public opinion worked hand in hand. In a little more than a month the forefronters in this process will receive the Nobel Peace Prize as a reward for their efforts.

Until recently it was considered impossible that such a ban could become reality. Now it is.

Our struggle against the evil of child labour is an equally complex and difficult task. But let us not be daunted. May this conference become the beginning of a process where again we make the seemingly impossible come true.