WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR: 12th June 2024

The World Day Against Child Labour was instituted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2002 with the aim of drawing attention to the global scope of child labour and the necessary measures and endeavours to eradicate it. Every year on June 12, governments, labour unions, civil society organizations, and millions of individuals from all over the world come together to observe World Day in support of child laborers and to raise awareness of their predicament and possible solutions.

One of the repeated worldwide commitments to eradicating child labour is included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were endorsed by world leaders in 2015. The world is urged to take "immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms," according to Sustainable Development Goal 8.7.

Approximately 218 million youngsters work today, many of them full-time, across the globe. They have little to no play time and don't attend school. Many don't get the right nourishment or attention. The opportunity to grow up is taken away from them. Over 50% of children are subjected to the most severe types of child labour, which include prostitution and drug trafficking, work in dangerous situations, slavery, and other forms of forced labour, as well as engagement in armed conflicts.

The worst kinds of child labour include the enslavement of children, the separation of families from them, the exposure of minors to dangerous situations and diseases, and/or the abandonment of young children on the streets of big cities. Depending on the kid's age, the nature and duration of the employment, the working environment, and the goals of the respective nation, certain types of "work" may or may not qualify as "child labour." The response differs between nations and between industries within nations.

The elimination of child labour was one of the main objectives when the International Labour Organization (ILO) was established in 1919. Historically, adopting and enforcing labour rules that represent the idea of a minimum age for admittance to employment or work has been the ILO's main tool in pursuing the goal of effectively outlawing child labour. Furthermore, the ILO has a legacy of developing standards in this area that dates back to 1919 and includes the idea that minimum age requirements should be connected to education.

The international agreement to end child labour was solidified in 1999 with the ILO's approval of Convention No. 182. It gave much-needed focus without sacrificing the main objective of the effective outlawing of child labour, as stated in Convention No. 138. Furthermore, the idea of the worst forms aids in prioritization and serves as a springboard for addressing the general issue of child labour. Along with the labour that kids do, the idea also serves to highlight the effects that employment has on kids.

There are three types of child labour that are prohibited under international law: the unqualified worst types of child labour, which are globally characterized as prostitution, pornography, forced recruitment of minors for use in armed conflict, debt bondage, slavery, and other forms of forced labour. employment that is likely to obstruct a child's education and complete development when it is done by a kid under the legal minimum age required for that type of employment (as defined by national legislation, in compliance with recognized international standards). job that puts a child's physical, mental, or moral health in danger due to its nature or the conditions in which it is performed is referred to as "hazardous work."

The international community pledged to end child labour in all its forms by 2025 when it adopted Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7. All 187 ILO member states have ratified Convention No. 182, and 176 member states have ratified Convention No. 138. Governments everywhere have pledged to put these conventions into effect. The path forward is outlined in the Durban Call to Action, which was endorsed by participants in the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in 2022. It is imperative that child labour be eradicated immediately.

#WorldDayAgainstChildLabor, #EndChildLabor, #StopChildLabor, #ChildRights, #SayNoToChildLabor, #ChildLaborAwareness, #ProtectChildren, #ChildLaborFree, #SupportChildRights, #ChildProtection