World
Day against Child Labourwas celebrated on Saturday, 12th June, coinciding with the
football World Cup in South
Africa, and with the theme “Go for the goal
– end child labour”.
The
International Labour Organisation (ILO) set up the World Day against child
labour in 2002
Whilst millions of children are following the World Cup football matches,
around 215 million girls and boys are undergoing long hard working days. More
than half of them are subjected to theworst forms of child labour, such as slavery or other types of forced
labour,
drugs trafficking, prostitution, working in dangerous environments or
participating in armed conflict. None of them, of course, has any form
of
education, healthcare, free time, or any of the most fundamental
liberties.
This day was held to draw attention to the seriously grave situation
that these children find themselves in. The member states of the International
Labour Organisation have fixed a goal to eliminate the worst forms of child
labour by 2016, but in order to achieve this, efforts and commitments must be
stepped up.
The Global Child Labour
Conferencetook place last month, on 10th and 11th May, with more than 450
delegates from more than 80 countries in attendance. During the closing session
they signed a Roadmapwhich aims to “fundamentally increase” world efforts aimed at fulfilling
the objective set by the ILO to eliminate the worst forms of child labour by
2016.
