Chişinău, 11 Iunie 2011 — The Agricultural Employers’ Federation (FNPAIA) from Moldova has renewed, during a National Conference held in Chisinau on 10 June, 2011, its commitment to fight hazardous child labour and in this 2011 campaign against child labour the FNPAIA will disseminate the ILO message “Warning! Children in hazardous work. Let’s Eliminate Child Labour”.

On the World Day Against Child Labour 2011, which is marked on 12 June, the National Federation of Employers in Agriculture and the Food Industry (FNPAIA) from Moldova presented its Summer Agenda against Hazardous Child Labour. The FNPAIA Summer Agenda against Child Labour was launched in Edineţ and comprises awareness activities with participation of children and adults.

The FNPAIA National Conference gathered regional Child Labour Change Agents from all over the country, but also social partners who support this initiative against child labour: Vasile Bumacov, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Sergiu Sainciuc, deputy Minister of Labour, Family and Social Protection; Vasile Mamaliga, Deputy chairman of the branch trade unions „Agroindsind”, and partners representing the civil society.

The President of the FNPAIA, Alexandru Slusari, stated that the FNPAIA will continue monitoring its Code of Conduct for Employers on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Agriculture, which was approved in December 2007 by the FNPAIA Council representing 15 member associations.

In the context, FNPAIA has recently developed and approved in November 2010 a Policy Book which expresses the position of Moldovan agri-employers on issues of concern to FNPAIA members. Along with position statements on fiscal, land, customs, labour, trade, occupational safety and health and other policies, the Policy Book states that the FNPAIA “stands for strictly following provisions of the laws and international agreements on the work of women and children, where Moldova is part of” and “FNPAIA will promote its Code of Conduct for Employers on the Elimination of the Worst of Child Labour in Agriculture”.

The FNPAIA 2011 Summer Agenda against hazardous child labour includes round tables which will be conducted at the grassroots level for agri-producers, a Drawing Week against Hazardous Child Labour which the FNPAIA and its child protection partner-NGOs will organize in summer camps for children and adolescents.

The FNPAIA is involved since 2005 in an initiative on combating the worst forms of child labour in agriculture in Moldova. This initiative has been supported since then by the Bureau for Employers Activities (ACT/EMP) of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

* * *

In a new report issued for World Day Against Child Labour, the International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that a staggeringly high number of children are still caught in hazardous work – some 115 million of the world’s 215 million child labourers – and calls for urgent action to halt the practice.

The report, “Children in hazardous work: what we know, what we need to do,” cites studies from both industrialised and developing countries indicating that every minute of every day, a child labourer somewhere in the world suffers a work-related accident, illness or psychological trauma.

The report also says that although the overall number of children aged 5 to 17 in hazardous work declined between 2004 and 2008, the number aged 15-17 actually increased by 20 per cent during the same period, from 52 million to 62 million.

Hazardous child labour falls under the worst forms of child labour and countries across the globe, including the Republic of Moldova committed to eliminate it by year 2016.

In Moldova, a recent study on uncared children and old people who were left by their relatives who went abroad for work, has found out that child labour is a serious problem faced by children left home alone.

* * *

FNPAIA
bd. Ştefan cel Mare 162, b. 1309-1310 Chişinău
MD 2004, Republica Moldova
Tel.: 21.00.85
Fax: 22.82.87
Web: http://www.fnpaia.org