Global March Against Child Labour

Who They Are 

The Global March Against Child Labour is a worldwide network of trade unions, teachers' and civil society organisations that work together towards the shared development goals of eliminating and preventing all forms of child labour and ensuring access by all children to free, meaningful and good quality public education. It mobilises and supports its constituents to contribute to local, national, regional and global efforts and support for a range of international instruments relating to the protection and promotion of children's rights and engages with the United Nations, international and inter-governmental agencies on the same, including for:

• The ratification and implementation of the International Labour Organization (ILO)'s core labour standards, in particular the Child Labour Conventions No. 138 on Minimum Age of Employment and No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour;
• The implementation of and follow-up to the ILO's Declaration of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work;
• The implementation of and follow-up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;
• The implementation of the Dakar Framework for Action on Education For All (EFA);
• The achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);
• The follow-up to the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016.

Global March recognises the critical importance of ensuring that the world continues to progress towards the achievement of the UN MDGs, in particular the alleviation of poverty and ensuring universal primary education, as a prerequisite in the sustainable elimination and prevention of child labour. In addition, it promotes the achievement of decent work for all and the application of a social protection floor worldwide to reinforce social cohesion and ensure the rebuilding of a global economy based on social justice as key elements in the fight against child labour.

With ILO Conventions No. 138 and 182 as well as the UN Convention on Rights of the Child forming the foundation of its work, Global March perceives education, and the right to free and compulsory education of good quality for all children, as non-negotiable. Therefore, Global March also considers the EFA goals under the Dakar Framework an equally important international instrument and pushes for governments to achieve the goal of education for all. 

Global March seeks to eliminate child labour by questioning, attacking and changing the very systems that compel children to work at the global, regional and national levels. What is key therefore, in the fight to end child labour, is the need to advocate for policy changes. Global March works on a three pronged strategy, or what it calls the Triangular Paradigm, which are three key processes affecting the future of the world, in particular their children - the elimination of child labour, Education For All and poverty alleviation. Bringing together policy and action for a unified response to child labour, illiteracy and poverty is a priority for Global March.