Despite the efforts of the international community, child labour continues as a major challenge for all countries around the world.

Kari Tapiola has been with the ILO since 1996. The Finnish labour expert and former unionist served as Deputy Director-General and Executive Director from 1996 to 2010. Since October 2010 he has been Special Adviser to the Director-General of the ILO.

Before joining the Office Mr. Tapiola was a member of the ILO’s Governing Body, representing the Nordic Workers, for five years. He attended his first International Labour Conference as a Workers' delegate of Finland in 1974.

In the Conferences 1991-1996 he was Workers' Vice-President of the Resolutions Committee. Kari Tapiola worked in Finland as a journalist (1966-1972) and as the Political Secretary of the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1972. He was International Secretary of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) in 1972.

In this first part of our interview, Kari Tapiola shares with us his feelings about the rise in child labour figures around the world these past four years. He also comes back specifically about the abolition of child labour, one of the basic aims of the ILO since 1919.

Listen to the second part by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of UNICEF : Mohammed, 10, cleans automobile parts with kerosene at an auto repair shop in the Pia Minara neighborhood of Herat, Afghanistan. He works six days a week as a mechanic's helper, cleaning the shop, fetching water and handling gasoline, diesel and kerosene. Mohammed does not have running water at home and uses most of the money he earns to wash in a hamam, or public bath, two or three times a week (UNICEF/NYHQ2007-1166/Shehzad Noorani)