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Raise
a High Level of Public Concern and Awareness
About Child Labour and Education
The
Global March raises awareness and concern
about child labour and education among all
members of the public. The movement informs
people about the causes and consequences of
child labour and the constructive actions
that can be taken against it. Special attention
is paid to the exploitation of young girls
and to forms of child labour such as family,
domestic and agricultural labour, and trafficking
that have been less visible. We also focus
on the importance of education for all children
at the national as well as the international
levels.
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Urge
States to Ratify and Enforce Existing Conventions
and Laws on Child Labour and Education
The
Global March demands that states live up to
the commitments they have made to children
in numerous international conventions and
declarations, constitutional guarantees, and
national laws. The movement calls for states
to devote the maximum possible resources and
attention to the implementation of time-bound
action plans to fulfil these promises. We
urge that such programs conform, in particular,
to the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of the Child and the international standards
established by the International Labour Organisation
through ILO Convention 138 and 182, as also
urge countries to adopt Fast Track Initiatives
to achieve Education For All.
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Mobilise
the Maximum Possible National and International
Resources to Support Education for all Children
The
Global March pursues all available means to
increase the level of support locally, nationally
and internationally for free, compulsory and
meaningful education, accessible for all girls
and boys. The movement insists that children's
education be a top priority in local, state/provincial
and national budgets. We also call on international
development agencies, development banks and
donors to give education the support it needs.
To mobilise further funds for education, we
advocate for debt and debt service reduction
in favour of national and international educational
programmes and urge that efforts be directed
to both increasing the quality and relevance
of education and ensuring that it is universally
accessible.
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To
Bring Together Policy and Action for a Unified
Response to a Triangular Paradigm of Development
Addressing Child Labour, Illiteracy and Poverty
The
three key process affecting the future of
the world, particularly our children are the
elimination of child labour, education for
all and poverty alleviation. The Global March
stresses on this fact, and lobbies international
agencies and governments to bring about synergies
in their policies to address these three issues.
The formation of the Working Group jointly
with the ILO, UNESCO, World Bank and the Global
March is a step towards this direction.
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Promote
Positive Actions by Employers and Consumers
The
Global March calls upon employers to begin
programs to replace child labourers with adults
-- preferably from the same family -- working
for a decent wage under fair labour conditions,
and to implement transitional measures to
ensure the safety, security and well-being
of the children. Such programs could take
on many forms, one of the most effective being
independently-monitored codes of conduct that
the employers commit themselves to. The Global
March further urges genuinely concerned business
people to demonstrate leadership in their
industries and organise their colleagues to
participate in these programs and other actions.
The movement promotes -- among consumers in
all countries -- products made without child
labour and enterprises that uphold the rights
of children and provide decent employment
for adults.
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Ensure
the Proper Rehabilitation and Reintegration
of Child Labourers
The
Global March demands that children freed from
labour promptly receive the comprehensive
programs of rehabilitation, education and
development necessary to make the transition
from labour to healthy childhood. This must
include provision of viable and sustainable
livelihood options for their families. We
call for the strengthening of policies, actions
and funding to support such programs for these
children. The programs should be of the highest
standard and should offer children the maximum
range of opportunities for their further growth
and development. These measures should be
carried out with the fullest participation
of children and their families and will be
a critical and urgent part of efforts to break
the cycle of poverty and exploitation.
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Mobilise
Public Opinion and Action against the Broader
Injustices Contributing to Child Labour
The
Global March mobilises public opinion and
action against the social, cultural and economic
injustices within societies that contribute
to child labour, such as discrimination against
women and minorities, the unfair distribution
of land and resources, illegal labour practices,
and massive unemployment; and also against
injustices between nations, such as the indebtedness
of the South, inappropriate Structural Adjustment
Programs, and unfair terms of globalisation.
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