India Committee of the Netherlands
+++ In solidarity with the oppressed in India +++


CHILD LABOUR & EDUCATION - DOSSIER PRESS RELEASES
2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - <2000
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Nov 1, 2018:
New monitoring report: Seed companies show progress on tackling child labour, but fail to tackle non-payment of minimum wages in their supply chain (PRESS RELEASE ICN/Stop Child Labour):
The report Remedies for Indian seed workers in sight? of the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) reveals that despite progress in addressing child labour, seed companies have not sufficiently addressed the issue yet. The companies are also largely failing to take adequate measures to address non-payment of minimum wages, especially to women.
Dec 19, 2017:
New Report Proposes Strategies for Reducing Child Labour in Agra, India: Fair Labor Association and Stop Child Labour Recommend Creation of ‘Child Labour Free Zone’ and More Responsible and Transparent Supply Chains in Leather and Footwear Production (PRESS RELEASE Fair Labor Association/Stop Child Labour):
A new research study from the Fair Labor Association (FLA), iMentor and the Stop Child Labour Coalition (SCL) confirms the substantial prevalence of child labour in footwear production in the city of Agra, one of India’s primary centers of domestic and export production of leather footwear(around 25% of the Indian export of shoes is being produced in in Agra). The research report Children’s Lives at Stake - Working Together to End Child Labour in Agra Footwear Production is being published today.
Jan 24, 2017:
Branded Childhood: Garment brands contribute to low wages, long working hours, child labour and school dropouts in Bangladesh (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
The average worker in the Bangladeshi garment industry is getting paid only one third of what is considered to be a living wage. Low wages and long working hours have been found to play a key role in parents’ decisions to take their children out of school and let them work in various jobs. Many international garment brands, including but not only H&M, C&A, Esprit, Marks & Spencer, GAP, VF Corporation and Kmart Australia, contribute to this situation.
These are important findings of the report Branded Childhood that is published by Stop Child Labour and SOMO today. Almost 50% of the textiles produced in Bangladesh are exported to the European Union. International brands and retailers should therefore play a key role in ensuring that the rights of all workers and their children are respected.
2016
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Dec 21, 2016:
Fabric of Slavery: Large-scale child slavery in Indian spinning mills making yarn for international garment brands (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
New research by the India Committee of Netherlands (ICN) shows that various forms of modern slavery, including child slavery, are found in more than 90% of the spinning mills in South India. These spinning mills produce yarn for India, Bangladeshi and Chinese garment factories that produce for the Western market.
The report Fabric of Slavery exposes the scale on which young girls and women - the majority of which are Dalits or 'outcastes' - are enslaved by employers who withhold their wages or lock them up in company-controlled hostels. They work long hours, face sexual harassment and do not even earn the minimum wage. Gerard Oonk, director of ICN: "We have raised the issue for five years now, but even to us the scale of this problem came as a shock."
Jun 9, 2016:
Electronics companies are yet doing far too little to eradicate child labour from gold mining (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
Electronics companies are not making a big enough effort to combat child labour in gold mining. This is the conclusion of a survey by SOMO commissioned by Stop Child Labour. The electronics industry is the third largest buyer of gold in the world.
Mar 9, 2016:
Broad support for plan to eliminate child labour from the garment and textile industry (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
Stop Child Labour welcomes the broad support for the elimination of child labour, forced (child) labour, low wages and other abuses in the global garment and textile industry. Sector associations, the government, trade unions and civil society organizations - including Stop Child Labour – have agreed on a ‘covenant’ to address these issues in the coming years.
2015
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Nov 24, 2015:
New Report Soiled Seeds: Many seed companies involved in child labour and below minimum wages in vegetable seed production in India - 156.000 Indian children produce vegetable seeds for companies (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
Almost 156.000 Indian children are producing vegetable seeds (tomato, hot pepper, okra), of which 50.000 are below 14 years of age. All of them are exposed to harsh working conditions, including poisonous pesticides and long working days. They mostly drop out of school between 11 and 13 years of age. The number of adolescent children (14 to 18) increased with more than 37.000.
Multinationals like Limagrain (French), Sakata (Japanese), Advanta (Indian) and East-West Seed (Dutch) had between 10 and 16% children below 14 years working at farmers producing seeds for them. Indian companies show similar figures. All companies have around 30% adolescents working on supplier farms.
Nov 2015:
Massive child labour used for gold in mobile phones - Almost no action by electronics companies to prevent child labour in gold mining (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
Globally, more than one million children are working in the gold mining industry according to new estimates. The number is growing, for example in the African country Mali, the number of children working in the gold mining industry has increased almost tenfold in recent years: from 20,000 to 200,000 children. The gold they mine ends up at electronics manufacturers who use it to make our mobile phones, computers and other consumer electronics. These are some key findings from a research study by SOMO commissioned by the Stop Child Labour coalition. Electronics companies do almost nothing to combat child labour in gold mines, while the probability is very high that the gold ends up in their products.
Jul 23, 2015:
New report: Cotton’s Forgotten Children - Almost half a million Indian children produce cottonseed (PRESS RELEASE ICN/Stop Child Labour):
Almost half a million Indian children are working to produce the cottonseed that is the basis for our garments and all the other textile products that we use. Around 200,000 of them are below 14 years of age. This is one of the shocking results of the new study Cotton’s Forgotten Children by India’s long-term expert on the issue, Dr. Davuluri Venkateswarlu.
Jun 11, 2015:
Say Goodbye to Child Labour: Manual Stepping Stones for Child Labour Free Zones presented to Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
Ahead of the International Day against Child Labour on 12 June, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, has today been presented the manual 5 x 5 Stepping Stones for creating Child Labour Free Zones authored by the Stop Child Labour coalition.
May 11, 2015:
Modern slavery and child labour in Indian quarries: Stop Child Labour urges companies and government to take action (PRESS RELEASE ICN/Stop Child Labour):
Modern slavery is widespread in Indian quarries. Child labour also occurs frequently. Most Dutch importers of Indian granite give no information from which quarries they are sourcing their granite or say they do not know from which quarries the stone comes from.
This is the main outcome of the report Rock Bottom - Modern Slavery and Child Labour in South Indian Granite Quarries on working conditions in South Indian granite quarries which is published by the India Committee of the Netherlands in collaboration with the coalition Stop Child Labour.
2014
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Jun 4, 2014:
UN experts slam India’s child rights policies - UP Govt too under fire (PRESS RELEASE NCDHR) link opent in nieuw venster:
India’s child rights policies came under sharp attack at a crucial meeting of UN experts on 2-3 June in Geneva. The UN Committee on Rights of Child had met to review the progress made under the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its two Optional Protocols in India.
Apr 4, 2014:
‘Small Steps - Big Challenges’ in Tamil Nadu’s textile industry: Garment brands not transparent on tackling bonded labour in India (PRESS RELEASE FNV Mondiaal/ICN):
Most Dutch and international companies importing garments from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu refuse to be transparent about if and how they tackle bonded labour at their suppliers. An estimated 100,000 young children and teenage girls are victims of 'bonded labour' or 'modern slavery'. These girls - mostly Dalit ('outcaste') - live in hostels, with little freedom of movement, underpaid for long working-days and working under unhealthy conditions.
This is an important conclusion of the paper Small Steps, Big Challenges - Update on (tackling) exploitation of girls and young women in the garment supply chain of South India that FNV Mondiaal (international department of Dutch trade union confederation) and the India Committee of the Netherlands have just published.
Mar 19, 2014:
Child labour behind international cosmetics brands - New report from DanWatch (PRESS RELEASE DanWatch):
12 out of 16 international cosmetic companies cannot exclude that child labour is behind their products.
2013
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Dec 2, 2013:
Shoe companies start tackling child labour and labour rights abuses - New report Working on the Right Shoes (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
More than half of the shoe companies have taken significant steps to fight child labour, but there are laggards. This is the conclusion of the Stop Child Labour (SCL) report Working on the Right Shoes which examined 28 Dutch and international footwear companies. The enclosed scorecard explains why Gabor, Lotto Sports, Marks & Spencer, Schoenenreus and Wolky score poorly.
Aug 13, 2013:
Dutch Minister Ploumen: Eradicate child labour and low wages in Indian seed sector 'as soon as possible' - ICN report leads to action by companies and trade association (PRESS RELEASE ICN/Stop Child Labour):
The Dutch government wants child labour and low wages in the seed production in India "to be eliminated as soon as possible". That is what Dutch Minister Ploumen of Trade and Development Co-operation answered in response to parliamentary questions from Members of Parliament ChristianUnion, Party for the Animals, Socialist Party and 50Plus. She made an agreement on that with the Dutch seed companies Bejo Seeds and Nunhems, as well as with trade association Plantum. The India Committee of the Netherlands and the Stop Child Labour campaign welcome this agreement.
Minister Ploumen will visit India beginning of September. CSR will be an important part of her mission.
Jun 29, 2013:
Two Dutch vegetable seed companies in India compared : Large-scale child labour at Bejo Sheetal - Nunhems almost child labour free (PRESS RELEASE ICN/Stop Child Labour):
The Indian company Bejo Sheetal, joint venture partner of Bejo Seeds from The Netherlands, tolerates widespread child labour at the farmers who supply seeds to them. The farmers providing seeds to Nunhems India - part of Nunhems Netherlands - work almost without using child labourers younger than 14.
This is the main conclusion from the report A Tale of Two Companies – The difference between action and inaction in combating child labour, today published by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) and the campaign 'Stop Child Labour - School is the best place to work'.
2012
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Oct 24, 2012:
Shoe companies are far from being child labour free : Large-scale child labour at Bejo Sheetal - Nunhems almost child labour free (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
In Europe and elsewhere one can still buy shoes made by children. That is the conclusion of the campaign ‘Stop Child labour – School is the best place to work’ on the basis of research in India. Stop Child Labour specifically suspects four companies – Bata, Bugatti, Clarks and Marks & Spencer of making use of child labour in their Indian supply chain.
Jul 18, 2012:
Brands and politicians are starting to act: Bonded (child) labour in Indian garment industry draws global attention (PRESS RELEASE SOMO/ICN):
Recent publications of SOMO and the India Committee of the Netherlands have significantly contributed to the fact that in Europe, the USA and The Netherlands steps are being taken against the large-scale child labour in the South Indian textile and garment industry. Both a number of garment brands as well as the Dutch, European and American politicians are now starting to take some action against bonded (child) labour in South India which is known as the ‘Sumangali Scheme’.
2011
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Jun 10, 2011:
World Day Against Child Labour 2011 – ILO calls for urgent action against hazardous forms of child labour (PRESS RELEASE 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.
May 20, 2011:
Exploited Dalit Girls Produce Garments in India for European and US Markets - Companies have taken steps, but exploitation remains widespread (MEDIA RELEASE SOMO/ICN):
Big garment brands and retailers have their products made under exploitative and unhealthy conditions by girls in Tamil Nadu, South India. The girls, mostly younger than 18 and from a Dalit (‘outcaste’) background are employed under the Sumangali Scheme. In its worst form, this employment scheme stands for bonded labour, as described in Captured by Cotton, a report published today by the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporation (SOMO) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN).
The report features case studies of four large manufacturers: Eastman Global Clothing Exports, KPR Mill, Bannari Amman, and SSM India. These enterprises produce for Bestseller (e.g. Only, Jack & Jones), C&A, GAP, Diesel, Inditex (e.g. Zara), Marks & Spencer, Primark, Tommy Hilfiger, and many other European and US garment companies. A number of companies have undertaken steps towards the elimination of the Sumangali Scheme, but abusive labour practices remain widespread.
2010
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Oct 20, 2010:
Bitter Hazelnuts: Stop Child Labour urges companies to transparency and action (MEDIA RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
The campaign ’Stop Child Labour – School is the best place to work’ expresses its serious concern about child and underpaid labour in Turkish hazelnut harvesting. Dutch TV news magazine EenVandaag on the 19th of October broadcasted a feature story showing that children – from around 8 years of age – are working around 11 hours a day in hazelnut harvesting. Turkey is producing around 75% of all hazelnuts in the world.
Jun 10, 2010:
More than half a million child labourers in Indian seed production - Situation improved where government, NGOs and companies intervened (MEDIA RELEASE ICN/Stop Child Labour/ILRF):
More than half a million children in India below 18 years are growing cottonseed and vegetable seeds under hazardous conditions, including very long working hours and exposure to pesticides. Around 230.000 of them are below 14 years of age. They produce the seed on the land of small and marginal farmers, which multinational and Indian seed companies use to outsource their hybrid seed production.
Child labour below age 14 in cottonseed production, although still a huge problem, has decreased in India by 25%. The decline is greater in areas where the MV Foundation (an NGO) and companies like Bayer and Monsanto have made efforts to eliminate it.
Apr 2, 2010:
Campaign Stop Child Labour – School is the best place to work launches worldwide petition: Eradicate all child labour, get every child into school (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
Today the campaign ‘Stop Child labour – School is the best place to work’ launches a worldwide petition in the run-up to the Global Child Labour Conference in The Hague, The Netherlands which takes place on the 10th and 11th of May this year.
The petition urges for a major shift in the international approach to child labour. The conference in The Hague will focus on the worst forms of child labour. However, Stop Child Labour feels that time has come for a global action plan against all forms of child labour that keep children out of school and/or harm their health. Also employers have to guarantee not to make use of any child labour, including in their supply chain.
2008
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May 9, 2008:
Child labour and Corporate Social Responsibility: what the European Union should do (PRESS INVITATION Stop Child Labour):
Stronger measures are needed in the European Union to ensure, in the context of Corporate Social Responsibility, the implementation of internationally agreed norms by EU companies. This includes the elimination of child labour, based on both ILO Child Labour Conventions.
‘Stop Child Labour’, Thijs Berman and Richard Howitt (both PES) will present at this Round Table a number of policies to eliminate child labour, with a focus on three points in particular.
Feb 19, 2008:
Action Plan for Companies to Combat Child Labour launched in Delhi (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
An ‘Action Plan for Companies to Combat Child Labour’ will be launched on 20 February in New Delhi, India, during the ‘International Conference for Child Rights Organisers and Campaigners’ by the campaign ‘Stop Child Labour – School is the best place to work’*. The conference is an initiative of the Global Trade Union Movement.
The document combines good practice experiences and insights in the field of combating child labour and rights-based corporate social responsibility.
2007
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Sep 25, 2007:
New report: 'Child bondage continues in Indian cotton supply chain' - More than 400.000 children exploited in hybrid cottonseed production (MEDIA RELEASE ICN):
More than 416.000 children under the age of 18, of which almost 225.000 younger than 14, are involved in (often bonded) child labour in India’s cottonseed fields. Most of them are girls. They work in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Compared to the 2003-2004 harvest season the total number of working children has risen. It only decreased in Andhra Pradesh because of local and international pressure.
These are some important results from the study Child bondage continues in Indian cotton supply chain, published on behalf of the India Committee of the Netherlands ICN), the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF, USA), OECD Watch, German Agro-Action and OneWorld Net NRW (Germany). The report is based on field research and has been written by well-known expert Dr. Davuluri Venkateswarlu, director of Glocal Research, who authored several other reports on this issue since 2001.
Jun 8, 2007:
New report: Seeds of Change - Child labour in India in cotton seed tackled by MNC's Bayer and Monsanto, but issue is far from solved (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
Multinational companies Bayer and Monsanto have, under a combination of local and international pressure, began to tackle the issue of child labour in their cotton seed supply chain in India. However, both companies are still unprepared to tackle the issue in other states in which they are expanding their production.
This is the conclusion of the report, titled Seeds of Change, published today. The author Dr. Davuluri Venkateswarlu assesses the follow-up by the two companies on commitments to a joint action plan. The report is released in advance of World Day Against Child Labor taking place on June 12.
2006
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Oct 9, 2006:
'EU-India Summit should focus on urgent issues of child labour and education' (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
The campaign ‘Stop Child Labour- School is the best place to work’ calls on the European Union (EU) to raise the issues of child labour and right to education at the EU-India Summit on October 13th. Tomorrow, on October 10th, the new Indian regulation prohibiting domestic child labour and work in restaurants, hotels, bars etc. comes into force. While applauding this, ‘Stop Child Labour’ is concerned about the rehabilitation and education of the children freed from these types of work. The EU itself can and should also contribute to eradicating child labour ánd implementing the right to education in India.
Aug 4, 2006:
India's new ban on child labour welcome, but forgets work in agriculture and at home (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
While the Indian government this week announced a ban on the employment of children as domestic servants and workers in roadside eateries, restaurants, teashops etc., the most widespread forms of child labour in India continue to be allowed. Roughly 70% of India’s estimated 100 million child labourers work in agriculture. In addition children are still permitted to do full-time work at home, including production work.
May 4, 2006:
The ILO is aiming too low: For most children the end of child labour is not within reach (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
The Stop Child Labour (SCL) campaign* expresses disappointment at the International Labour Organization (ILO) Global Report ‘The end of child labour: within reach’ published today. The report excludes hundreds of millions of children that work as domestic and agricultural labourers. As these ‘invisible’ children work at home and are unpaid they are not calculated in the official ILO statistics.
2005
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Nov 22, 2005:
Louis Michel Promises to Take Action Against Child Labour (PRESS RELEASE Alliance 2015/Stop Child Labour):
EU Development Policy turns a blind eye to child labour while Commissioner Michel makes a promise to never forget children in his efforts.
On November 22, 2005, the day the Council of the European Union adopted its new Development Policy, Commissioner Louis Michel received 170 000 signatures, organized by the Campaign Stop Child Labour – School is the best place to work, urging the Commission to step-up its efforts to combat child labour.
Nov 18, 2005:
Campaign urges European Commissioner Michel to take Action on the Eradication of Child Labour (PRESS RELEASE Alliance 2015/Stop Child Labour):
On 22 November, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Mr. Louis Michel, will receive a petition signed by over 170 000 members of civil society from across Europe, urging him to actively combat all forms of child labour. Indian child labour activist, Shantha Sinha, Secretary Trustee of the M Venkatarangaiya Foundation (MVF) and holder of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2003 for Community Leadership will present the signatures together with Monique Lempers, the international co-ordinator of the Alliance 2015 campaign Stop Child Labour – School is the best place to work.
Oct 31, 2005:
Companies perpetuate child labour in India by low prices and flawed inspection (MEDIA RELEASE ICN):
Multinational and Indian seed companies are paying Indian farmers who are producing their cotton seed almost 40% too little to enable them to hire adults for the local minimum wage of Rs.52 (€1,-) instead of children. The companies are multinationals like Bayer, Monsanto and Syngenta but also Indian companies like Nuziveedu Seeds, Raasi Seeds and Ankur Seeds.
At present the farmers working for these companies mainly hire children and young people below 18. At least 100.000 of them work 13 hours a day in cotton seed production in Andhra Pradesh for less than half a euro per day. They are often bonded by loans given to their parents.
These are some findings from the report The Price of Childhood released by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN), the International Labor Rights Fund (USA) and Eine Welt Netz NRW (OneWorld Net Germany).
Jul 20, 2005:
Campaign 'Stop Child Labour' welcomes resolution European Parliament (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
The European Parliament calls upon the European Commission to help abolish child labour. This can be achieved by including strategies to get working children into formal education in all education programmes financed by the EU. The European Parliament also requests the Commission to urge UNESCO, the World Bank, the IMF and Unicef to do the same. In addition the Parliament recommends legal action against EU-based importers using child labour or violating other fundamental labour rights.
Feb 25, 2005:
"World Day Against Child Labour 2005" to focus on child labour in mines and quarries (PRESS RELEASE ILO):
The plight of children who work in mines and quarries that are often dangerous, dirty and can post a grave risk to their health and safety will be the focus of the fourth World Day Against Child Labour, scheduled for 12 June 2005, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said today.
The ILO estimates that some one million children work in small scale mining and quarrying around the world. What’s more, ILO studies show that these children work in some of the worst conditions imaginable, where they face serious risk of dying on the job or sustaining injuries and health problems that will affect them throughout their lives.
2004
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Nov 8, 2004:
MEP pledges support for campaign to eradicate child labour in India (PRESS RELEASE MV Foundation/Hivos/Stop Child Labour):
Speaking at the International Conference Out of Work into School - Children's Right to Education as a Non-Negotiable on Friday 5 November 2004, British Conservative MEP, Nirj Deva, pledged to propose financial support from the EU's co-operation with India for the eradication of child labour in that country.
The conference, which took place in Hyderabad from 2-5 November, was attended by more than 5000 delegates including an international delegation consisting of both high level politicians and child labour activists from Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia. It was organised by the MV Foundation, (India), in collaboration with the 'Stop Child Labour - School is the best place to work' campaign.
Oct 4, 2004:
Multinational and Indian companies still profit from bonded child labour on cottonseed farms in India (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
An estimated 12,375 children are still working in horrendous conditions on cottonseed farms in the state of Andhra Pradesh (India) producing for the multinational corporations (MNC's) Advanta (Dutch), Bayer (German), Emergent Genetics (US, with an investment from Unilever) and Monsanto (US). In addition more than 70.000 children are working for Indian seed companies under similar circumstances. Children are working long hours, do not go to school and are often bonded to the employers by loans. A number of children have died or became seriously ill due to exposure to pesticide. Promises by companies made last year to eradicate child labour in the sector have not translated into solid actions.
These are some major findings of the report Child Labor in Hybrid Cottonseed Production in Andhra Pradesh: Recent Developments, which is released today by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN), in co-operation with its partners in Europe2 and India, and the International Labor Rights Fund (USA).
2003
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Oct 24, 2003:
Multinationals pledge to end child labour in Indian seed production (PRESS RELEASE ICN/Amnesty International Netherlands/Novib-Oxfam Netherlands/FNV Mondiaal):
Seed multinationals Monsanto, Emergent Genetics, Hindustan Lever1, Syngenta, Advanta and Proagro (a subsidiary of Bayer) as well as some big Indian seed companies, have agreed to co-operate with the MV Foundation (MVF) - a reputed NGO in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh - to eliminate child labour from the cotton seed industry. The companies will come up with a concrete proposal in October 2003.
This was the outcome of a meeting between these companies and the MV Foundation (MVF) in September in Hyberabad, capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The outcome is a real breakthrough in view of the ongoing debate on the issue.
May 19, 2003:
Unilever asks its Indian subsidiary HLL to discuss child labour (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
On the 15th of May the issue of child labour in cotton seed production was discussed between Unilever Netherlands and the India Committee of the Netherlands, the Confederation of Netherlands Trade Unions, Amnesty International, Novib/Oxfam Netherlands and the Indian M. Venkatarangaiya Foundation (MVF). Unilever agreed to ask her Indian subsidiary Hindustan Lever to have a meeting in the region of production (Andhra Pradesh) with MVF.
May 14, 2003:
Unilever, Monsanto and other multinationals involved in large-scale child labour in India's cotton seed production - Start of European campaign 'Stop child labour - School is the best place to work' (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
Both Hindustan Lever Ltd., an Indian subsidiary of British-Dutch multinational company Unilever, as well as the American multinational Monsanto are making use of hazardous forms of child labour in cotton seed production in India on a large scale. An estimated number of 25.000 children, mostly girls, work an average of ten to thirteen hours a day for Hindustan Lever, while around 17.000 children work for Monsanto and their Indian subsidiary Mahyco. These children get no education, earn less than 40 Eurocents (Rs. 20) a day and are exposed to poisonous pesticides like Endosuphan during their work. More than 11.000 children work under similar conditions for the multinationals Syngenta (Swiss), Advanta (Dutch-British) and Proagro (owned by Bayer from Germany).
This is the result from the research done by the Indian researcher Dr. D. Venkateswarlu for the Indian Committee of the Netherlands.
May 5, 2003:
Unilever rejects accusation of using child labour (PRESS RELEASE Unilever):
Some time ago NGOs (including the India Committee of the Netherlands, the FNV trade union federation, Amnesty International and Novib) brought the working conditions in hybrid cottonseed production in India to Unilever's attention. Unilever is aware of this problem and entered into extensive correspondence about this and held talks and always showed its willingness to continue the dialogue. In view of that Unilever is surprised at the fact that the NGOs have not sought contact with its Indian subsidiary Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL), despite Unilever's invitations to do so. HLL has a minority stake without management control in Paras Extra Growth Seed Ltd., the business that purchases cottonseed from the seed organisers, who in turn buy it from the growers.
2001
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Nov 20, 2001:
Golden opportunity for FIFA to play fair in UNICEF partnership (PRESS REPORT Global March Against Child Labour):
Today, as the world celebrates its affirmed commitment to improve children's rights, UNICEF and FIFA are launching a campaign to promote the rights of the child. It seems very fitting that the federation representing the world's most popular sport among children and the organisation established to protect children should come together in efforts to raise awareness on children's rights.
However, it seems that FIFA is still not ready to "play fair" - not with child labourers who are exploited in the sporting goods industry and not with the millions of young football players who unknowingly use the products of this exploitation. FIFA has yet to fully comply with their own labour practice code which promises no use of child labour and living wages in its licensed goods production. "We hope that UNICEF is aware of FIFA's current lack of will to truly protect the rights of all children before entering into this partnership," says Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson of the Global March Against Child Labour.
May 31, 2001:
One year countdown starts towards the first child labour free World Cup (PRESS REPORT ICN):
Representing 250 million children suffering their childhood in hard years of labour, Sonia, a 15-year-old former child labourer from India will be kicking off the World Cup Campaign 2002 - Kick Child Labour Out of the World, in Tokyo, Japan. Counting down to the grand opening ceremony of the Football World Cup 2002 to be hosted in Korea and Japan, the Global March Against Child Labour will join up with NGOs, trade unions, children and all concerned people to make the next year's biggest international sporting event another step forward in the fight against child labour.
1994
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May 1994:
APPEAL FOR ACTION: Support campaign against child exploitation in the carpet industry (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
The India Committee of the Netherlands requests you to support the following demands directed at the European Union (EU) and its member states:
• support for the implementation in all member states of the EU of an (already developed) trade mark for carpets not made by children;
• an import ban at the level of the European Union for carpets which do not carry the certified trade mark label;
• support for rehabilitation programmes for working children, through NGO's, through bilateral agreements between the EU and India and through international organizations like the ILO;
• to make working children a priority target group in the 150 million EU-funded programme for primary education in India;
• to carry out a survey of other export sectors in which child labour is prominent and to propose an action programme against it, including support for labelling systems, import restrictions and rehabilitation programmes.