12to12 to End Child Labour - The Community Portal

12 JUNE 2012

WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR

“I giovani in azione per il 12 giugno ”

(Youth in action on June the 12th)

SCREAM

Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media

On the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour promoted by the International Labour

Organization (ILO)1 which is observed on June 12th, a major celebration was held in Macerata at the San

Paolo Auditorium in Piazza della Libertà at 9.45 am to show the commitment of young people in promoting social justice and respecting human rights.

In the framework of a memorandum of understanding aimed at creating a training course designed to

promote cooperation and solidarity among the younger generations, the Province of Macerata decided to

join and support the international initiative called “I giovani in azione per il 12 giugno ” (Youth in action on

June the 12th). The initiative has been designed and developed by the LumbeLumbe ONLUS Association,

in collaboration with the mountain community called "Monti Azzurri" and the municipalities of Sarnano,

Monte San Martino, Penna San Giovanni and Sant’Angelo in Pontano.

In the context of the Global Campaign Against Child Labour promoted by the International Labour

Organization intended to serve as a catalyst for the worldwide movement against child labour, the initiative

is divided into several phases in an effort to raise awareness and call attention to the issues of globalization,

labour rights and child labour. The project is based upon the SCREAM methodology - (Supporting

Children's Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media) - promoted by the ILO’s International

Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). Translated into 20 different languages and

disseminated in eighty countries, the SCREAM methodology aims to leverage the creativity and knowledge

of young people and to encourage their active participation and social commitment.

The programme has actively involved 150 boys and girls aged 5 to 26 years, supported by 20 young tutors

from the LumbeLumbe Association who participated in a training programme aimed at fostering a sense of

responsible glocal citizenship (global vision and local action) among young people. The boys and girls

involved in the various municipalities have created unique, sizable (3.5 x 7, 8 meters) works of art of deep

symbolic value in support of the Global Campaign Against Child Labour.

Designed to be disseminated in schools at all grade levels and eventually in universities, the methodology

offers a unique opportunity to open new horizons for younger generations. It aims to engage them in

experiences that stimulate critical thinking, foster debate and solidarity, and instill in them a sense of social

responsibility based in to knowledge and reflection, thus empowering them to become young advocates

promoting a culture of human rights in their communities.

The 5 paintings were served as an appeal to the public, drawing the attention of civil society and the media,

and were exhibited along with those canvases created by LumbeLumbe tutors during their training in

Romeand in the Marche region. The paintings were officially presented to the respective municipalities in

the week prior to the World Day Against Child Labour and then in Macerata for the celebration on June

12th. They were on exhibit throughout the day and were available to the public in facilities at local

institutions including the University and the Municipality of Macerata.

Local authorities, together with officials from the International Labour Organization and schools involved

in the project, took part in the celebration, which had showed young people how valuable and important

their social commitment is to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals promoted by the

United Nations. This action launched an important message of solidarity and responsibility and allowed the

young people involved to join a worldwide network of youth committed to the fight for social justice

through the 12to12 community portal.

The event was held in the San Paolo Auditorium, kindly made available by the University of Macerata

and was opened to the public; some seats were reserved for invited guests.

Children are born free and thus have their fundamental rights, which are being violated almost in every part of the globe. My country Pakistan is also facing the problem of ever increasing child labor. The morning of many children in Pakistan does not start with the preparations for going to school. Sadly, they are send to kiln-owners,carpet manufacturers,motor mechanics etc. Here innocent children are usually abused by their owners despite religious, legal and moral restrictions.

Poverty,unbridled inflation,unemployment are the major reasons for the increase in child labor. In accordance to the survey carried out by the Manpower pakistan(2007-2008) 21 million children of age group 10-14 are working in various sectors. Moreover, according to the statistical data collected by the far eastern economic review the number of child laborers in Pakistan is 19 million. Parents due to poverty put their children to work instead of sending them to schools. Parents are of the point of view that their children support them financially by earning a living. The economic and family status in the rural areas of Pakistan is quite low and as a result children are forced to work in various manufacturing and tertiary industries and are also over-exploited. 61.2 % of Pakistan is illiterate and poor education resulting in limited exposure to human rights is a major cause of child labor. The economic and family status in the rural areas of Pakistan is quite low and as a result children are forced to work in various manufacturing and tertiary industries and are also over-exploited. 61.2 % of Pakistan is illiterate and poor education resulting in limited exposure to human rights is a major cause of child labor Furthermore, a children in rural areas have almost no access to education and so learn the tricks of trade from their parents and end up being laborers. In Pakistan there is to much of focus on class divisions and status and so the rich and middle class families heir poor children as domestic servants. child labor is preferred because  it is cheap as children demand less wages. Secondly, children are efficient and can be trained easily. Thirdly, they are easy to manage. Pakistan is going through a serious social stratification problem and the rich continues to get richer whereas the poor continues to get poorer. Girls are exploited within the rich households, are paid less and are often physically harassed by the male owners.

  The dire need is to eliminate child labor from Pakistan. Some practical suggestions and steps that can help in overcoming child labor not only from Pakistan but from every part of the globe are listed below:

• A fair and well integrated policy package should be designed and implemented so as to improve the education(better literacy programs, free primary and secondary education).
• A  well-knit employment program should be implemented which should focus on schemes for poor households.
• A massive awareness program against child labor should be started in both the  the rural and urban areas of the country.
• NGOs should play their effective role by carrying out campaigns in schools,colleges and universities. They should in cooperation with the government open new free schools and shelter homes for children.
• Media should play its fair role by unveiling the the violation of children who are forced into child labor.
• The judiciary should take action against child labor.
• counseling centers should be established country wide for children where they should be given knowledge on forced child labor and its consequences.

Youth Employment Forum

Over 100 young trade unionists, entrepreneurs, NGO members and others took part in the three-day Youth Employment Forum at the International Labour Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva to share their experiences, views and ideas on the employment crisis that has left 75 million youth jobless worldwide.

During the event, was presented three video finalists of the ILO video awards, produced by young people, with the content: "How is the global jobs crisis affecting the lives of young people?"

This short video was produced by Fair Guzman Daza (Colombia) and submitted to the ILO. Fair is one of the 3 finalists of the ILO Decent Work for Youth Video Contest 2012. Enjoy!

Did you know that  around the world, agriculture is the sector where by far the largest share of child labourers is found – nearly 60 percent?

In fact, more than 129 million girls and boys aged 5 to 17 years old work in the agriculture sector, which includes crop and livestock production as well as foresty and fishing activities. Agriculture is one of the three most dangerous sectors in terms of work-related fatalities, non-fatal accidents and occupational diseases, and approximately 59 percent (or 70 million) of all children in hazardous work aged 5–17 are in agriculture.

It is important to note that not all activities that children participate in within this sector are considered as "child labour." Some participation in family farm activities can teach children valuable life skills, build pride and self-esteem, and contribute to family income and livlihoods. Children, should not, however, participate in hazardous activities that may harm their safety, health, morals or developmental well-being. 

To tackle the pressing issue of child labour in agriculture and support decent work initiatives for youth in this sector, the ILO developed a global, inter-agency advocacy team of labour and agriculture stakeholders. Since 2007, the International partnership for cooperation on child labour in agriculture (IPCCLA) has brought together the ILO, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), (formerly) the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF). 

IPCCLA supports collaboration between labour and agriculture stakeholders to better address child labour in agriculture. Knowledge exchange and policy collaboration between labour and agriculture organization are key to ground policy and legislation on child labour to the rural economy. Collaborating with ministries of labour, ministries of agriculture, departments of fisheries and forestry, agricultural extension services, farmers' organizations and cooperatives, agricultural producer organizations and agricultural research bodies, agricultural workers unions, bring together very different areas of technical expertise and understanding of child labour issues. A multidisciplinary perspective provides innovative solutions to promote child labour elimination and decent work for adults as part of sustainable agriculture.

Specifically, the IPCCLA aims to:

• promote cooperation and programme and policy coherence on child labour among the Partners, especially at national level
• mainstream child labour into existing activities of agricultural organizations and help raising awareness on how child labour elimination contributes to achieving organizational mandates of agricultural organizations;
• promote action and cooperation to improve rural livelihoods and alternative income-generating activities, and to ensure that children do not carry out hazardous work in agriculture;
• promote opportunities for decent youth employment in agriculture and in rural areas.

Are you interested in learning more about child labour, youth employment and decent work in various agriculture sub-sectors? If so, visit the FAO-ILO Working Together webpage - "Food, Agriculture and Decent Work" - which is continually updated with new information and IPCCLA activities:  http://www.fao-ilo.org/fao-ilo-child

A Pictorial report on the art murals mini-programme implemented by Child – TO – Child Programme of kyambogo university

Did you know that hazardous work is one of the worst forms of child labour? Sadly, more than half (53%, or 115 million) of the 215 million child labourers worldwide are caught in hazardous work. This is work that is detrimental to the health, safety and morals of developing children (ILO, 2011). 

The World Day Against Child Labour 2011 brought much needed attention to this urgent issue for good reason. Hazardous work is actually increasing for children between 15 and 17 years old. Within four years, this figure increased by 20% - jumping from 52 million to 62 million (ILO, 2010). Research from industrialized countries has shown that children have higher rates of injury and death at work than adults, thus emphasizing the particular vulnerabilities that children face when exposed to occupational hazards (ILO, 2011)..  

To complement the awareness raising activities of The World Day 2011, the ILO published a special report entitled: "Children in hazardous work: What we know, what we need to do." 

This report reviews the current knowledge base on the hazardous work of children and presents the case for a new focus on the issue as part of the wider global effort to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. The report highlights recent global trends while summarizing the scientific evidence related to the health of working children and adolescents. The report further identifies key challenges not only in understanding the effects of hazardous work on childhood development, but also in preventing hazardous occupational exposures for children. The report features good practice approaches of various stakeholder groups that have demonstrated the potential to be scaled up and discusses the importance of an integrated policy response to the issue. For this reason, this report is valuable for all individuals interested in protecting the developmental well-being of children: from workers and employers organizations, to community activists, NGOs, national governments, human rights groups, students, and countless others. 

To access this publication in English, Spanish and French, please visit: http://www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/viewProduct.do?productId=17035

Source:

ILO (2010). Global child labour developments: Measuring trends from 2004 to 2008 (Geneva, ILO). 

ILO (2011). Children in hazardous work: what we know, what we need to do (Geneva, ILO). 

Fishing is one of the most hazardous occupational sectors, particularly for developing children and adolescents. Worldwide, it is estimated that 132 million girls and boys work in the agriculture sector, which includes children working in fisheries and aquaculture. 

This sector contains various hazardous activities. Activities can range from dock work, hauling and carrying heavy nets, maintaining vessels, cleaning and processing fish, line fishing, diving, selling fish, as well as many others. These tasks may involve long hours, extreme environmental exposures, hauling heavy loads, use of sharp tools, night work and psychosocial stressors. In addition, many children who work aboard large fishing vessels spent long periods of time away from their families and from school. Girls tend to be more often involved in post-harvest work, while boys mostly undertake work related to catching fish. Therefore, hazards may be quite different for girls and boys in this sector due to the gender division of labour. 

Most experts agree that child labour in fishing is a significant problem. However, information gaps exist in terms of the best practices in addressing this pressing issue. 

For this reason, the ILO and FAO have developed a draft document specifically aimed at addressing child labour in this sector, entitled: "FAO-ILO Good Practice Guide for Addressing Child Labour and Fisheries and Aquaculture: Policy and Practice." This document aims to help policy makers and government authorities tackle this growing danger for vulnerable children worldwide. The two organizations are currently seeking feedback on this document as a final version is scheduled to be published later this year. 

This document is currently available for public comment until April 30 2012. All feedback can be sent to Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spambots. Es necesario activar Javascript para visualizarla . More information can be found at the FAO media center: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/117475/icode/

Die Spendenaktion «Jeder Rappen zählt» kommt in diesem Jahr Müttern in Not zugute - in Kriegsgebieten, Entwicklungsländern und in der Schweiz.

SF zwei und DRS 3 senden eine Woche lang (12. bis 17. Dezember) live aus Luzern.

Die Spendengelder gehen an die Glückskette.Die Aktion "Jeder Rappen zählt" (JRZ) wird zum dritten Mal durchgeführt.