Fiji

In July 2008, the European Union, International Labour Organization, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour signed a Partnership Protocol Agreement to start the implementation of the TACKLE project in Fiji. Concrete actions quickly followed ‘steered’ by a Child Labour Project Advisory Committee involving the Ministries of Labour and Education, Bureau of Statistics, Social Welfare Department, Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation and the Fiji Trades Union Congress and affiliate the Fiji Teachers Union. At the first Fiji National Child Labour Forum in 2008, social partners and other stakeholders were introduced to child labour concepts and they drafted a framework for actions to tackle child labour.

Output 1: Improved country level child labour and education legal framework

  • The report Legislative Compliance Review on Child Labour Laws in Fiji was completed and endorsed. The Report recommendations lead to: elaborating a list of hazardous work for children in Fiji; and recommendations considered in current revision of the Education Act, Juveniles Act and Adoption of Infants Act.

Output 2: Strengthened institutional capacity to formulate and implement child labour strategies

Human resource and institutional capacity to tackle child labour strengthened through:

  • National and international training programmes: (a) Child labour training programmes conducted on international and national legal frameworks, child labour research design and data analysis, child labour concepts and strategies, and technical design guidelines for interventions; (b) Training courses held at the ITC-ILO in Turin.
  • Mainstreaming programmes: (a) Start Your Own Business (SYOB) programme is an initiative led by the Ministry of Education to provide children in vocational courses at secondary schools with business and entrepreneurial skills; (b) A Child Labour Module included in the Fiji Labour Force Survey 2010-2011 led by the Fiji Island Bureau of Statistics (see "Incorporating child labour datasets into national survey"); (c) Child Labour Unit established within the Ministry of Labour to develop systems and processes to mainstream child labour monitoring and enforcement of legislation in to the core functions of the ministry (see TACKLE Fiji: Case Study: Mainstreaming monitoring and enforcement).

Output 3: Targeted actions to combat child labour

Output 4: Enhanced knowledge base and networks on child labour and education

Mechanisms for knowledge sharing and advocacy created through:

2013

  1. Good practices

    Good practices in tackling child labour through education - Selected examples from the IPEC TACKLE Project

    10 October 2013

    The objective of the TACKLE project was to contribute to the withdrawal of children engaged in child labour and to prevent further entry of children into employment by offering them alternative education and training opportunities and thereby contributing towards poverty reduction.

  2. News

    Fiji - Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

    26 February 2013

    Save the Children Fiji said that some children started sex work as early as 10 years.

  3. News

    Fiji: National Child Labour Forum revealed cases of child labour

    26 February 2013

    Minister for Labour acknowledged the assistance of the ILO in helping Fiji address child labour issues.

2012

  1. Document

    Training courses held at the ITC-ILO in Turin

    28 November 2012

  2. Document

    TACKLE Fiji: Case Study: Mainstreaming monitoring and enforcement

    24 May 2012

2011

  1. Good Practice

    Incorporating child labour datasets into national survey

    01 November 2011

  2. Good practice

    Community based approach for the eradication of child labour

    01 November 2011

  3. Meeting document

    Pacific Sub-Regional Workshop for Workers' Organization on "Social Dialogue and Child Labor"

    01 April 2011

    Workshop report: Nadi, Fiji 7-9 February 2011. The training workshop on Social Dialogue and Child Labour for focal points of workers' organizations, is a step towards achieving the commitments made in the PAP-DW. In particular, the training workshop addresses the commitment in the PAPDW to continue progress on ratification of all eight ILO Core Conventions to have national laws and practices that are aligned with Core and Governance Conventions.

2010

  1. Publication

    Child Labour in Fiji - A survey of working children in commercial sexual exploitation, on the streets, in rural agricultural communities, in informal and squatter settlements and in schools

    01 December 2010

    This research tells us that too many children in Fiji are being put at risk of exploitation. Too many children are missing out on their childhood and the benefits of education. Many children are victims of the worst forms of child labour, including commercial sexual exploitation and hazardous work. Among the important voices heard in this research are those of children themselves. We salute their courage in sharing their experiences.

2009

  1. Publication

    Legislative Compliance Review on Child Labour Laws in Fiji

    01 September 2009

    This report examines Fiji¿s compliance with the ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No.138) and ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182). Fiji ratified Convention No. 182 in 2002 and Convention No. 138 in 2003. The Employment Relations Promulgation 2007 updated Fiji¿s labour laws and brought them more in line with Convention No. 138 and No. 182, however, there are still major gaps in the application of the Conventions in Fiji¿s laws.