We
have been successful in building a
worldwide movement against child labour
and in favour of education. We are
proud of our major accomplishments
in the adoption of a new international
law to stop the worst forms of child
labour, as well as its ratification
in 154 countries. Child labour and
education are now a global agenda,
but the story is far from over. As
you are reading these worlds there
are 250 million children toiling as
labourers with two-thirds of them
languishing in the extreme forms of
labour exploitation, slavery, trafficking,
and prostitution. Last year we rescued
a dozen young Nepalese girls, trafficked,
enslaved and abused in an Indian circus.
Bhavna (name changed) was one who
had lost all sense of childhood, freedom
and joy at 13 years of age. The bright
young girl blames her mother’s
illiteracy and ignorance, for putting
her thumb impression on paper, which
she could not read while Bhavna was
being trafficked some years back.
Bhavna wishes that this should not
be repeated in the lives of generations
to come, but she feels it is too late
for her to learn to read and write,
as she is no more a child. This is
the saga of millions of boys and girls
across the world not only in the southern
countries but also in the industrialised
world.
|
"How
such dreams
of millions
of young
victims
of servitude,
trafficking
and other
worst forms
of labour
exploitation
will come
true. Who
will help
them to
turn into
leaders
of tomorrow
and in writing
their destinies
with their
own hands,
if not you
and me?.." |
|
|
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 |
As
thousands of Global March partners
and supporters as well as civil society
and state actors are putting their
efforts to stop exploitation of children,
an environment of hope is created.
This has also resulted in dreams and
demands from amongst the child labourers.
The young domestic worker Ashraf from
India wants to fly in the skies as
a pilot. Mexican flower seller Cynthia
dreams of becoming a manager in a
corporation, while South African Jerry
when given a chance to learn soccer,
dreamt of playing for his national
soccer team. How such dreams of millions
of young victims of servitude, trafficking
and other worst forms of labour exploitation
will come true. Who will help them
to turn into leaders of tomorrow and
in writing their destinies with their
own hands, if not you and me?
Over
15,000 organisations- NGOs, unions,
religious bodies, youth organisations,
development organisations, etc, supported
the physical Global March to happen
in 1998. Of them about 2000 became
core partners of Global March worldwide
coalition. Through this worldwide
coalition arose a global voice against
child labour that has played a pivotal
role in lobbying with governments
and international organisations for
policy change on child labour and
education. Partners and supporters
have been Global March’s greatest
strength in putting the issue of child
labour on the forefront of global
agenda. The huge support base of Global
March has been instrumental in collation
and sharing of knowledge on child
labour and education for all. These
and many more advantages of Global
March membership have sustained the
Global March worldwide coalition.
However,
there are many new and urgent challenges
in front of us. First among them,
is to maintain the momentum and pressure
on the governments and parliaments
in each country for a genuine and
speedy implementation of the ILO Conventions
to combat child labour and also the
successful application of the Dakar
Framework of Action on Education For
All, especially to provide free, quality
and compulsory education to all children.
Secondly, the critical qualitative
participation of civil society in
the planning, implementation and monitoring
of these international instruments
and treaties has to be ensured. Thirdly,
to bring a strong component of child
labour eradication in the realisation
of the Millennium Development Goals.
Many of you may be aware that all
governments of the world, rich or
poor, have pledged to achieve the
goals of poverty eradication, universal
primary education, gender parity in
education, reduction of child mortality,
improved maternal health, combating
HIV/AIDS and other diseases, ensuring
environmental sustainability, and
developing global partnership for
development by 2015. The heads of
the states of 189 countries would
attend the MDG summit scheduled for
late September. However, if child
labour is not addresses properly and
seriously none of these goals would
be realised, therefore, Global March
must play a key role in this regard.
Finally, most of the governmental,
inter-governmental and non-governmental
efforts on child labour eradication,
education for all and poverty alleviation
are happening more or less independent
of each other. Global March has developed
the theory of Triangular Paradigm
and has successfully brought the international
actors on these issues onto two round
tables in 2003 and 2004, and has made
them agree to institutionalise their
collaborations. This has to be translated into action at local, national and
international levels.
In
this context, the International Council
of the Global March movement has decided
to go for a partial formalisation
of the movement in a constitutional
framework of membership-based organisation.
It is needless to elaborate more on
the importance and urgency to meet
all these challenges as a strong and
cohesive movement; therefore I call
upon you to become a real and true
partner and leader as a Global March
member.
