International Standards Related to Child Labor

RATIFICATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ON CHILD LABOR

Of the 16 international conventions related to child labor, the

Philippines has ratified 4. These are as follows:

ILO Convention No.59 (“Minimum age for admission of

children to industrial employment’). Ratified in May 1960,
the Convention sets the minimum age for employment in
industry at 15 years but allows children under 15 to be
employed in under takings where only family members are
employed, but only if such work is free from risk to the life,
health, or morals of children (Art.2).

ILO Convention No.77 (‘Medical examination for fitness for

employment in industry of children and young persons”).
Also ratified in May 1960, the Convention requires the
medical examinations of children prior to employment and
continous examinations after that, and includes the
medical examination guidelines for the different kinds of
work done by children.

ILO Convention No.90 (“Night work of young persons

employed in industry”). Ratified in May 1953, the
Convention bans the employment of children in industry at
night or the duration of work of at least 12 consecutive
hours, including the interval of at least 7 consecutive
hours, from ten in the evening to seven in the morning, for
children aged between 16 and 8 years (Art.2).

ILO Convention No.138 (“Minimum age for admission to

employment”). The campaign to build a broad support for
the Convention’s ratification was spearheaded by both
government agencies and NGOs. This grounds well of
support inspired Congress to briskly ratify Convention once
it came to a vote. ILO-IPEC and its partners in the
Philippines played a key role in the advocacy not only for
the ratification of the Convention but also for the passage
of more childsensitive laws, especially those concerning
child labor. A most recent focus of ILO-IPEC partners and
other anti-child labor advocates was the Global March
Against Child Labour held in January 1998. The Asian side
of the March was launched in the Philippines, and marchers
would meet those from other parts of the world in Geneva
in June 1998. Throughout 1997, several conventions and
conferences around the world discussed the interests and
states of child laborers, and prepared for the final meeting
of representatives from various countries in June 1998 to
agree on the eradication of child labor. Ratified in October
1997, the Convention focuses on setting a standard
minimum age for all circumstances, having in view the
terms of previous conventions covering minimum age in
specific industries or sectors. These are the Conventions on
the Minimum Age for industry (approved by ILO in 1919);
sea (1920 and revised in 1936); agriculture (1921);
trimmers and stokers (1932); nonindustrial employment
(revised in 1937); fishermen (1959); and underground
work (1965).