This year 2016, the International Day of the Rights of the Child reminds us that in Latin America and the Caribbean there are still 12.5 million children and adolescents who are at risk of their right to grow and develop physically, socially, morally and professionally. because of child labor and its worst forms.

Child labor is found in all sectors of production, at the national, regional or local level, at home or on the street; Therefore, it is urgent to reiterate the call to all governments, organizations, companies and civil society to unite to face this reality, which has been exposing minors to greater conditions of vulnerability or deepening said condition, threatening the full exercise of rights such as education, health, protection, rest or recreation.

In addition, child labor has effects on the development of countries, since it mortgages a generation that will not have the opportunity to adequately develop the necessary skills to enter the world of work in adequate conditions. Child labor encourages informality, limits access to decent work and reduces the accumulation of productive capacity of workers that a country may have.

The countries that have committed to reducing child labor and protecting permitted adolescent labor have as a basis for their policies the  Convention on the Rights of the Child , the most ratified international treaty in history, which constitutes a guide for comprehensive protection and full development of childhood.

One of the articles of the Convention refers to the prohibition of child labor below the minimum age as one of the ways to ensure the fulfillment of their rights to health, education, protection and enjoyment of their childhood. The  Convention 138 of the ILO  on the minimum age for admission to employment is complementary to this framework and provides specific guidelines for policy development in countries.

Additionally, Convention 138 has  Recommendation 146,  which outlines some considerations for setting the minimum age for admission to employment in national policies; for example, progressively raise the minimum age allowed. It also offers the guidelines for the control of the effective application of the Convention.

Likewise, Articles 33, 34, 35 and 36 of the Convention are dedicated to the prohibition of the use of children and adolescents in jobs considered to be the worst forms of child labor, which are defined in  ILO Convention 182  on the worst forms of child labor.

With the adoption of the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,  the region, and the world in general, has set  Target 8.7  to end child labor in all its forms by 2025. The fulfillment of the rights of all is urgent. children and adolescents to offer them more and better opportunities for growth and development, and at the same time it is imperative to end child labor to allow all children and adolescents to have the same opportunities to enjoy their rights and to train for a full and productive adult life.

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• To read the Convention on the Rights of the Child, go to: http://www.un.org/es/events/childrenday/pdf/derechos.pdf
• Find out the minimum ages for admission to employment in the countries of the region: https://www.unicef.org/lac/4._20160308_UNICEF_LACRO_min_age_employment.pdf
• Watch the video and learn about the Objectives of the 2030 Agenda that are interlinked with Goal 8.7: http://www.iniciativa2025alc.org/es/content/segundo-aniversario-iniciativa-regional-america-latina-y-el-caribe -free-from-child-labor