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Posted by Jodie Martin May 28, 2008 |
On 12 June 2008, World Day Against Child Labour will be marked around the world.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour is "work that harms children's well-being and hinders their education, development and future livelihoods." The theme for the 2008 World Day Against Child Labour is "education is the right response to child labour." The ILO has highlighted three key aims:
- Education for all children at least to the minimum age of employment.
- Education policies that address child labour by provision of properly resourced quality education and skills training.
- Education to promote awareness on the need to tackle child labour.
I think this is a great theme as the economic exploitation of children can only end when education is accessible to all children. This is a child's right. ILO estimated that some 165 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are involved in child labour, damaging to their mental and physical health and their future.
According to the ILO website:
"Child labour is closely associated with poverty. Many poor families are unable to afford school fees or other school costs. The family may depend on the contribution that a working child makes to the household’s income, and place more importance on that than on education. And when a family has to make a choice between sending either a boy or girl to school, it is often the girl who loses out."
The right to education is a fundamental human right, and humanitarian organizations such as the ILO and the United Nations say that that education is essential for exercising other human rights and development.
You can find out more about World Day Against Child Labour by visiting the official website.