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The ILO Convention No. 138, Concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, 1973, 65provides that signatories to the Convention pursue a national policy raising the minimumage of employment “consistent with the fullest physical and mental development of youngpersons”, thereby abolishing the very concept of “child labour”. 66 The two guiding principlesof the Convention are, first, that the minimum age for employment not be less than 15,or the age for completing compulsory schooling, and second, that the highest minimumage set for hazardous work not be lower than 18. That being said, the Convention is also aflexible and dynamic instrument setting various minimum ages depending on the type ofwork. For example in limited cases, directed to countries with an insufficiently developedeconomy and education facilities, the minimum age for work may be less than 15 years.The Convention is relevant to a discussion on CSEC as it compliments Convention No.182 in placing an onus on state parties to ensure that persons below 18 years of age arenever involved in hazardous “work” for remuneration.As noted in section 2.0 of this report, ECPAT along with UNICEF and the NGO Groupfor the Convention on the Rights of the Child organised the First World Congress back in1996. At the Congress, 122 countries adopted the Stockholm Agenda for Action. The StockholmAgenda for Action calls for action from states, all sectors of society, and national, regionaland international organisations against the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Inparticular, it calls countries to develop national plans of Action and to implement theAgenda for Action in the five areas: coordination; cooperation; prevention; protection;recovery; and reintegration and child participation. Essentially the national plans of actionprovide governmental and child-care agencies an opportunity to cooperate in devisingstrategies through national policy to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children andpromote children’s rights in their country.In December 2001, the Second World Congress was hosted by Japan in Yokohama.By adopting the outcome document, known as the Yokohama Global Commitment, 159countries reaffirmed their commitment to the First World Congress’ Agenda for Action.Further, the Second World Congress participants recognised and welcomed the positivedevelopments that had occurred since 1996, including better implementation of the CRC,an increased mobilisation of national governments and the international community tosafeguard the rights of a child through the adoption of laws, regulations and programsaimed at protecting children from CSEC.The Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, or Beijing Rules 67 ,adopted by the UN General Assembly in November 1985, precedes the UN CRC byfive years. The Rules provide guidance to the international community in its dealingswith juvenile crime by establishing a set of minimum standards for the juvenile justicePrivate Sector Accountability in Combating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children|23