On the premise of the magnitude and the negative impact of the child labour problem on children and the society, and in line with the international obligations and national priorities, the Lebanese government established in October 2001, in collaboration with the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labor, a Unit For Combating Child Labour In Lebanon, a specialized unit within the Lebanese Ministry of Labor.

Importance and role of the Unit:
The unit is the official reference point in Lebanon for United Nations Agencies dealing with child labour, particularly the International Labour Organization. Its responsibilities include coordinating with various government entities to guarantee harmonious and orchestrated work, and enhance the collaboration between different ministries.

The Unit is mandated with ensuring the smooth and efficient implementation of international conventions on child labour. Its mission is to emphasize that all government entities at all levels give child related and especially child labour related programs the priority they deserve, in addition to playing a major role in mobilizing the Public and gathering popular support to related Government decisions.

Overall objective:
To Prevent, Combat and eliminate child labour progressively, in addition to raising awareness on the hazards of child labor especially its worst forms and coordinating efforts between the different government entities, civil society organizations and regional and international organizations to prevent and combat this phenomenon.

Goals of the Unit:
To

1. Raise awareness on the child labour problem
2. Spread knowledge on the International and Arab Conventions on child labour
3. Contribute to the development, unification, classification of national laws related to child labour and harmonizing them with relevant international conventions
4. Contribute to the establishment of national strategies and action plans to enforce the pragmatic eradication of child labour.

Fields of action:

1. Contribute to the development and enforcement of laws related to child labour
2. Define the worst forms of child labour
3. Seek to involve the local community in the development of programs aimed at combating child labour
4. Raise the awareness on the dangers of child labour
5. Raise awareness on Child Rights stressing the right of each child to free and compulsory education
6. Receive complaints and petitions regarding the transgressions of the legal provisions related to child labour
7. Establish a database on child labour
8. Establish a specialized library on child labour
9. Establish an Internet Web Site on child labour
10. Develop further vocational training programs for working children (above 15 years old)
11. Organize specialized training sessions for those concerned with the issue of child labour.
12. Serve as the Secretariat of the National Steering Committee Against Child labour