Mexico City, Mexico - The Mexican government is undertaking actions to eradicate child labor, Labor Secretary Alfonso Navarrete Prida announced this week.

According to the labor secretary, the newly created Intersecretarial Committee to Prevent and Eradicate Child Labor and Protect Working Adolescents will coordinate the efforts of the federal government together with other state agencies, labor unions, employers’ associations, and non-governmental organizations that work on this issue.

Navarrete Prida added that President Enrique Peña Nieto has also proposed a reform that would modify Article 123 of the Mexican Constitution, raising the minimum working age from 14 to 15. If this reform is approved by Congress, he said, Mexico would have a stronger legal base to ensure that children would not be forced to work until they finish their education. This reform would bring Mexico up to international standards on child labor.

Mexico’s National Labor Survey is now also equipped with a child labor module, which keeps track of the socioeconomic characteristics of people aged 5 to 17 who carried out any sort of economic activity.

Secretary Navarrete Prida’s comments were made at a Global Conference on Child Labor in Brasilia, Brazil this week, which was attended by government officials from more than 140 countries, as well as representatives of labor unions, employers’ associations, and non-governmental organizations.

According to Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff, the elimination of child labor requires a worldwide commitment through coordinated actions, comprehensive policies, and actions from all the sectors represented in the conference.

International Labor Organization General Director Guy Rider called on all participating countries to redouble their efforts so that the goal of eradicating the worst forms of child labor by 2016 could become a reality.