No
more bombs’, ‘No more missiles’, ‘No
more guns’, ‘No more tools in tiny hands’,
‘We want books’, ‘We want schools’,’
We want toys’, ‘Stop stop child labour’,
‘Down with child labour’ ‘Long live
Global March,’ ‘We want education’,
– these were the enthusiastic slogans of the children
which reverberated in the air at the World Social Forum.
It was momentous. The anguish of 246 million children
entrapped in exploitative child labour found their expression
in these heart-rending chanting of the local children
and the former child labourers.
“Children
are the future of the country but they are working. I
want to ask the governments, what their future is?”
said Pintu, a former child stone crusher.
The
March at the World Social Forum
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Hundreds
of former child labourers made their strong presence felt
at the World Social Forum. Scores of school children from
Mumbai also participated in the march expressing their
solidarity and raised slogans against child labour. The
colourful demonstration took place amidst a crowd of over
100,000 with children shouting slogans, singing revolutionary
songs and performing street plays to communicate about
the evils of child labour. The march was flagged off by
an eminent local film celebrity, Mahesh Bhatt who announced
that the Global March is on and will continue until a
single child is ensured his/her rights, liberty, and proper
education. Under the banner, “A World Without Child
Labour is Possible”, former child labourers, the
representatives of various partners of Global March partners,
Trade Unions, civil society, youth committee and Dalit
groups (the "untouchables" of India) joined
in the demonstration to express their solidarity and support
and to strengthen the cause of the movement. The most
prominent were the Global March regional coordinators
from Europe, Mani Tese – Georgia and Maria Rosa.,
the ICFTU (the International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions ) representative, Cecelia Brighi, the South Asian
coordinator- Gauri Pradhan, Paul Bhaskar, the national
coordinator of India and the youth group of MV foundation
with its leading anti-child labour activist and Magsaysay
award winner, Dr. Shanta Sinha. Enthused by the overwhelming
participation and response, thousands of Indian and international
viewers on the street also joined in the March.
This
was also an occasion where the Global March observed its
sixth anniversary on January 17th, 2004. The Global March
movement began on January 17, 1998 with a worldwide march
when thousands of people marched together to jointly put
forth the message against child labour. It was an 80,000
km march through Asia, Europe and the Americas. Marching
from Manila, the participants reached Geneva, winning
the support of millions of children and adults. This march
finally culminated at the ILO Conference in Geneva. The
voice of the marchers was heard and reflected in the draft
of the ILO Convention against the worst forms of child
labour. Today with some 147 countries having ratified
the convention, this has become the fastest ratified convention
in the history of ILO conventions. The march is still
active through its 2000 partners in over 144 countries.
To quote our Chairperson, Kailash Satyarthi "Till
date, we have not stopped our march. We are marching!
Six years after the physical march we haven't stopped
our march against child slavery and exploitation. However,
the mode of the march has changed, and the movement is
getting stronger and stronger."
Activities
of the Global March at the World Social Forum
The
Global March Against Child Labour actively participated
in the World Social Forum by setting up stalls and distributing
posters and pamphlets to sensitise the masses and render
an insight into the evils of child labour. The senior
staff members of Global March and SACCS, Dr. Vidyasagar,
Advocacy Coordinator, Dr. Gopal Krishna Iyer and few others
spoke on the panel discussions to reinforce and propagate
the campaigning ideology of Global March, i.e. the creation
of Triangular Paradigm on Child Rights Protection. Triangular
Paradigm is establishing the linkage between child labour,
poverty alleviation and eradication of child labour in
the context of globalisation.
Children
condemn child labour through Mukti Caravan (Campaign on
Wheels)
The
South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude, the Indian nodal
partner of Global March participated through the Mukti
Caravan (Campaign on Wheels) which constituted of children
freed from slavery and now turned into street theatre
activists. These children travel across cities and villages
to raise mass awareness against child labour by performing
street plays and singing songs. Even today there are 6
crores or 60 millions of children caught in child labour
and child slavery in India.
Mukti
Caravan had performed about 50 street plays at the WSF,
led by Rakesh Senger on child labour and education, based
on themes like –“What will a girl do by studying”(The
common Indian psyche is “ A girl should be confined
to household chores only. She need not go to school. Through
this parody, children sought to challenge the age-old
myth persisting in India), “Where have the children
gone?”(The play portrayed the lives of children
working in the agricultural fields, stone quarries, factories
and other industries) , and “Today’s society”
(This particular play depicted the reality of some of
the social problems affection our society like child labour,
illiteracy, unemployment , poverty and population exploitation)
and many more.
‘Spartacus
Returns’ – a beautiful rendition by the children
Amongst
the several activities of the Global March at the World
Social Forum, one particular event is worth mentioning.
Janmostava, an Indian theater group that focuses on child
labor issues, in Bangalore, India in collaboration with
Global March made a spectacular street theatre presentation,
‘Spartacus Returns’ based on a historical
legend where Spartacus, a freeborn, was sold as slave
to the Romans to be made a gladiator. A huge pyramid was
created where a child portraying ‘Spartacus’
stood on the top with a burning torch reminding that slavery
still exists and the children are still the worst victims.
The excitement was rife in the air as the message cut
across the crowd and was loud and clear; the urgency was
marked—“We need to liberate all the modern
day slavery from the shackles of servitude”.
Kailash
Satyarthi’s message
In
his address to the enthusiastic demonstrators, Kailash
Satyarthi, the Chairperson of Global March said, “When
a child cries, we turn to her. When a group of children
cry out for an end to child labour, the entire world must
hear and act. A world without child labour is possible
when policy makers and world leaders listen to the children’s
demands”. “The Children’s World Congress
will give opportunity to the children to question the
leaders what effective steps they are taking to ensure
the rights of all children,” he added. He further
quoted that globalisation is creating a new kind of power
troika where the powers of corporate, state and knowledge
are fused together. And that the only way to bring equity,
justice and ensure education for all children is by bringing
a sense of emergency.
Message
of support from UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan
In
his message of support, UN Secretary – General,
Kofi Annan called on the world community to make ending
child labour a common cause. “Few human rights abuses
are so widely condemned, yet so widely practised,”
he quoted. “The big challenge, as so often, lies
in the implementation of good intentions. The Global March
Against Child Labour inspires us in that mission. Let
us make it a priority. Because a child in danger is a
child that cannot wait.”
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