An international conference on child labour

Date: 20/02/1997

next Wednesday (26 February) will highlight the increasing importance the EU is attaching to the issue as it takes on new trading commitments with developing countries, and public pressure mounts for a response to social problems inside the Union. The conference will be hosted by the Dutch government and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Developed and developing countries have been invited to attend, but only if they already participate in ILO initiatives on child labour and have taken steps to fight the problem. Meanwhile, the EU is moving closer to agreeing sanctions against Burma designed to punish Rangoon's military regime for using children, conscripts and other civilians as forced labour.