Kindernothilfe warns that 80 million children are still working under exploitative conditions. The child workers themselves are now heard in workshops.
Vienna (OTS/www.kindernothilfe.at) – On the World Day against Exploitative Child Labor on June 12th, we are looking at a sobering assessment: According to estimates by the International Labor Organization, 160 million children worldwide are currently working, around 80 million of them in particularly difficult, exploitative and health-endangering conditions. The global community has set itself the goal of ending the worst forms of child labor by 2025. But we are a long way from this goal.
„Over the last five years, there has undoubtedly been greater attention paid to the issue in politics, business and society around the world. Within the EU, the adoption of a supply chain law by the European Parliament is a first step towards ensuring that EU member states integrate more effective legal requirements against child labor into their corporate due diligence obligations
“, says Kindernothilfe Austria managing director Gottfried Mernyi. However, from Kindernothilfe’s perspective, it is urgently necessary to increasingly involve the affected children and young people themselves in the dialogue about child labor – in order to make progress in efforts to combat exploitative child labor. “Only when children’s voices are heard and taken seriously can effective steps be taken against exploitation
“, admonishes Mernyi.
In recent years, Kindernothilfe and its project partners worldwide have therefore begun to network locally active organizations of child workers worldwide. The main aim of this exchange is to bring the concerns and solutions of those affected more into the international debate about the abolition of child labor.
A meeting of 63 of these organizations from 16 countries took place in Rwanda. At the African Children Summit in Nairobi, their suggestions and common demands were presented to the public in the so-called “Kigali Declaration”. As a result, local workshops also took place in Bolivia, Nepal, Bangladesh and this year a networking meeting in Istanbul in May 2024.
The most important conclusion: The children and young people affected do not see a global ban on child labor as the solution. From their point of view, concrete measures are necessary in five areas: combating poverty, protection against exploitative child labor, freely accessible and better quality education, protection against violence and discrimination and the participation of those affected.
Kindernothilfe Austria strongly supports this concern and, on the occasion of the International Day Against Child Labor, is committed to considering concrete steps in line with the child workers’ suggestions in future efforts against child labor.
Questions & Contact:
Children’s emergency aid Austria
Julia Drazdil-Eder
Communication
01/513 93 30-60
julia.drazdil-eder@kindernothilfe.at
www.kindernothilfe.at