violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

6ment, routinely suffer violence in theworkplace is brought to public attentionand systematically condemned in law andin practice.workforce. Employers, trades unions andlabour authorities should promote zero tolerancetowards those who victimise youngworkers.2. Relevant international legal instrumentsshould be ratified and applied.Governments should harmonise nationallegislation concerning child labour withinternational standards, notably ILOConventions Nos 138 and 182 and theConvention on the Rights of the Child.Legislation should specify enforcementmechanisms and impose penalties that actas an incentive to eliminate ‘worst forms’of child labour as a first priority.Policy and programme development3. Develop national action plans to addresschild labour. Governments should createand implement plans of action to tacklethe many issues connected with childlabour. These plans should be integratedinto national development plans and policies;this should be done with the necessaryrange of partners (including workingchildren’s representatives), appropriateexpertise, and resources. In order to basethese plans on solid evidence, high priorityshould be given to building a knowledgebase about violence against working children(see recommendation 14).4. Tackle violence in the workplace generally.Governments should ensure thatworkplace violence is tackled as a whole,with an emphasis on the special vulnerabilitiesof the youngest members of the5. Set up services for children to reportviolence and escape from it. Governmentsshould ensure that working childrenshould have a means of reporting violenceagainst them to people whom they canhave trust, and who can help them to leavethe workplace or obtain redress. These servicesmay include hotlines so that childrencan summon assistance, and if necessarybe rescued and placed in emergency care.6. Provide services for working childrenand those leaving the workplace. Governmentsshould ensure that workingchildren’s rights to education, health, andsocial services are fully respected. Childrenshould be encouraged and enabledto leave work and attend school or vocationaltraining, by transitional educationprogrammes and other initiatives whichensure that learning is relevant, accessibleand child-friendly. Life skills should bepart of non-formal education for workingchildren.7. Mainstream the participation of workingchildren in the creation and implementationof policies, programmes andservices for their benefit. Governmentsshould ensure that children’s right to, andcapacity for, participation is respected.Working children’s views, energies, creativeskills, and effectiveness in advocacy shouldbe deployed in ways that enable policies269Violence against children in places of work