3071-The political economy of new slavery

148 Child Labour in Latin America
Other important policies are awareness-raising and advocacy work
to ensure that child labour issues are given priority treatment on the
policy agenda. It is also important to raise awareness within civil society,
which in turn can put pressure for action on its government and
can influence local employers of children through specific campaigns
and normative pressure. Furthermore, engagement with the causes
making child labour necessary, such as poverty and its consequences,
is crucial.
Activity to combat child labour in Honduras has increased in recent
years, in line with the shift in international thinking on child labour.
Although Honduras ratified ILO Convention 138 on minimum admission
to work in 1980, the point of departure for a more serious commitment
to child labour was the ratification of the CRC in 1990. In this
context the Code on Children and Adolescents 30 and, most recently, the
framework for ratifying and implementing ILO Convention 182 came
about. The current debate on child labour in Honduras, again, much in
line with the international debate, is that a solution for the worst forms
of child labour should be found immediately, leaving space for a more
gradual and progressive eradication of child labour in general. This
approach is suggested by the PAN. 31 This action plan sets the guidelines
for combating child labour and outlines the most recent policies in this
field, as well as providing a framework for the ratification and implementation
of Convention 182. The PAN’s main aim is to significantly
reduce child labour over the five-year period 2001–6. The PAN was
prepared by the National Commission for the Gradual and Progressive
Eradication of Child Labour (Comisión Nacional) which was set up by
Presidential Decree 17–98. 32 This process ensured that a framework for
both the ratification and implementation of the new ILO Convention
on the worst forms of child labour would be in place. An important
element of the PAN has been research, which helps to determine the
scope of the problem and to decide what action should be taken.
Two important studies in this regard, are maps indicating where the
worst forms of child labour occur and which sectors need to be given
priority for action. These studies, commissioned by IPEC and Save the
Children UK, were used for debating the PAN and represent the areas of
investigation and action of these organizations. 33
Research also forms the basis for the Diagnostico General (National
Diagnosis), which is based on the latest household surveys of 1999
(Comisión Nacional, 2000b). This diagnosis highlights the findings,
discussions, proposals and recommendations on the child labour debate
in Honduras and provides the framework for action taken under the