World Day against Child Labour
Children increasingly exploited and disenfranchised
The Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour has become, thanks to the commitment of all states and communities, the first convention ratified by every member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The world agrees: children should not be subjected to hazardous work or criminal exploitation…and yet…
Photo: Terre des Hommes
The recent Report on Child Labour 2022 by the International Federation Terre des Hommes, published to coincide with the World Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, held from 15 to 20 May in Durban, South Africa, is alarming. According to the ILO, “160 million boys and girls are involved in child labour.
For the first time in 20 years, the phenomenon is increasing worldwide and Covid has exposed almost 9 million more children to the risk of labour exploitation”. (source: agensir.it/quotidiano/2022/6/10/minorile-labour-ferrara-terre-des-hommes-we-see-an-alarming-increase-in-child-exploitation-the-weight-of-covid-19/)
Image: www.ilo.org
For the first time in the history of global conferences on child labour, the Durban conference was attended by children’s delegates alongside more than 1,000 delegates from governments, workers’ and employers’ organisations, UN agencies, civil society and regional organisations, joined by another 7,000 participants from remote locations. The children’s position was clear: that decision-makers should intensify their efforts and accelerate the progress made over the past two decades.
Image: www.ilo.org
THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CHILDREN CERTAINLY INFLUENCED DURBAN’S CALL FOR COMMITMENTS IN SIX DIFFERENT AREAS:
- Make decent work a reality for adults and youth above the minimum age for employment by accelerating multi-party efforts to eliminate child labour, prioritising the worst forms of child labour.
- End child labour in agriculture.
- Strengthen the prevention and elimination of child labour – including its worst forms – forced labour, modern slavery and trafficking in persons, and protect survivors through evidence-based policies and programmes and the experience of survivors.
- Realise children’s right to education and ensure universal access to free, compulsory, quality, equitable and inclusive education and training.
- Achieve universal access to social protection.
- Increase funding and international cooperation for the elimination of child labour and forced labour.
Happy to see that the Congregation’s commitment is perfectly in tune with the orientations of the Durban Conference.
