Education: The Right Response to End Trafficking and Child Labour Partner Activities Around the World • Open letter from Chairperson • Background Note • Global March Call For Action!! • Partners Activities Around the World • South Asia Congress • Download the Participation Form • Download Poster

Open letter from Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour

Dear Brothers and Sisters

Greetings from Global March Against Child Labour!

We want to congratulate all of you for the success of Global Action Week, organised by Global Campaign for Education on the theme "Education to End Exclusion".  More than with 7.5 million children, adults, teachers and politicians joined in over 100 countries to learn about the importance of everyone having the chance for a quality education and entered in Guinness Book Record.

10 year of Global March tenure we have observed that campaigns have been our strong weapon in this fight to end slavery. In these years we have been able to run awareness campaigns in most sensitive areas of Africa, Latin America, and South Asia with fewer funds in hand; but motivation to make change in the life of children brought remarkable changes in the system to make it more children centric.  Due to these campaigns child labour education linkage was recognised all over world due to which Global March was able to form Global Task Force on Child Labour and Education for all comprising ILO, UNESCO. UNICEF, World Bank, UNDP, Education International and Global March Against Child Labour.  

World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL)– 12 June in approaching and this years’ theme is “EDUCATION – THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO END TRAFFICKING & CHILD LABOUR”. This is in tandem with the Global March philosophy and position on child labour elimination. Global March firmly believes that ending the economic exploitation of children can only be possible when free, compulsory and quality education is assured for all children regardless of gender, race, religion, and social or economic status. The elimination of child labour and education for all are two sides of one coin. One cannot be achieved without provision for the other.

In this regard I would call upon you to observe the World Day Against Child Labour on 12th June 2008 with full strength. You may plan your activities such as public hearing, media event, issuing press release, human chains, symposium or in-house discussion among the children, community and staff you work with.

We would be very happy to highlight the action taken by you on our Global March website and e-newsletter. We request you to send us the reports of your organization and country specific detail on info@globalmarch.org

It should be our clear demand to have greater civil society role in planning, implementation and monitoring of child labour elimination strategies in line with the recommendations to the ILO Convention 182

In Solidarity

Kailash Satyarthi

Background Note

Alice, her father was unable to afford to educate her beyond nursery school. He was unable to buy paper for her to write on. After nursery school, Alice was free at home. Her friends went to the garbage dump to earn money. She needed money and wanted to be with her friends, so at age 8 she started working at the dump too. She collected bottles, shoes, and plastic bags, and sold them directly to people who came to the dump. She did not report to a boss. She worked 8 hours a day, from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and from 1 - 5 p.m., six days a week ASA. At age 13, she stopped working and came to the center, where she learned the alphabet. She is now in her third year of studies supported by ASA. Her teachers are very proud of her. She even convinced ten of her friends to leave the garbage dump, where they all used to work. Alice would like to work in a non-governmental organization that helps children who do not have the means to realize their potential. She dreams of coming to the United States to continue learning to sew. She would like a sewing machine.

72 million primary aged children, and a much larger number of secondary aged children, are not in school.  82% of out of school children are in rural areas household survey suggest that many children who are enrolled in school do not attend regularly. These children are among the world’s estimated 218 million child labourers. The right to free and compulsory education, at least at the primary or basic level, is enshrined in international human rights law. The international community has also set itself targets of achieving universal primary education, and eliminating gender disparities in education by 2015. An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 children are serving as soldiers for both rebel groups and government forces in current armed conflicts. Children are trafficked for forced labour, domestic work, as child soldiers, as camel jockeys, for begging, work on construction sites and plantations. 2006, the US State Department reported that one million children are exploited in the global trade and are sold as animals. According to   ILO 2006 report there has been some decline in number but still lot have to be done.

In the September 2000 Millennium Declaration, 187 countries committed themselves to making development based on human rights principles a global reality by 2015. This aim was expressed in eight development goals and associated targets and indicators. The links between child labour and many of the MDGs are clear, particularly in relation to poverty reduction (MDG 1), education for all  (MDG 2), gender equality in education (MDG 3), and youth employment (MDG 8). The 2007 progress report on the MDGs observed that notwithstanding some positive trends, the goal of universal primary education by 2015 will be difficult to reach: 57 of the 152 developing countries (38 per cent) for which data are available are considered off track - meaning that they will not reach the goal on current trends. Another 33 countries that lack data are also likely off track.

Education -Right Response to Child Labour

The linkage between child labour and education, though explicitly defined, has not been applied at a policy level either by the international donors or by the developing countries’ governments. Education as a key to ending child labour must come into the centre stage of child labour discussions, mainly because in the past child labour policy has long been based on a biased notion that until unless poverty is eradicated, child labour would prevail, and therefore while poverty exists, the children must be protected in the workplace. This has resulted in certain stakeholders implementing parallel systems of non-formal education, where child labourers are receiving part-time education while they continue to work; or, worse, to supporting the unionisation of child labourers to further deprive them of the rights as children. These approaches differentiate the rights of children of poor families from those of the privileged ones, in the name of their survival.

Whilst poverty still remains as a reason for children being forced into child labour, recent studies suggest that poverty is not merely a causative factor, but also a result of child labour. Other factors contributing to child labour and more widely to its causes, including failing education system, have to be understood and incorporated in wider approaches in ending child labour. Each and every child, without being pre-labeled as a child labourer, poor, or socially excluded, must enjoy an equal right to be free from economic exploitation and to receive free, formal education of good quality.

Quality Education As a Birthright

Every child is born with equal rights. The rights of each human being are non-negotiable and cannot be altered by economic and social status of individuals. When the right to quality education is genuinely considered a fundamental right, which builds then foundation of one’s life, there must not be a debate that any government is too poor to provide education, or to say that some children, who cannot afford education, can be excluded from their obtaining their rights. Only when national governments and the international community realise that their policy and subsequent actions must be based on the fact that quality education is a fundamental and non-negotiable right of every child, can education be guaranteed for all and be a source of building an equal society.

The 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report indicated that whilst there had been steady but slow progress towards universal primary education there are still 72 million primary school age children out of school- including 44 million girls. The GMR states: “Education for All…requires an inclusive approach that emphasizes the need to reach groups that might not otherwise have access to education and learning”. It calls for policies aimed at “reaching the unreached”, including policies to overcome the need for child labour. Many of the out-of-school population are child labourers.

10-20 per cent - that are the real challenge to achieving Education For All. Only by first examining, and then surmounting, the barriers to education encountered by child labourers, can a meaningful increase in education participation among this group be attained. In many ways, tackling child labourers can be a litmus test of the health of the education system in many developing countries - child labourers (re)entry to the school system can test how inclusive and child-friendly schools are.

The Global March applauds ILO Convention 138 allows children aged between 13 and 15 to engage in light work, provided that the work is "(a) not likely to be harmful to their health or development; and (b) not such as to prejudice their attendance at school, their participation in vocational orientation or training programmes approved by the competent authority or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received" (C138, 7.1). It should be recognised that child labour in the cases described as acceptable by the Convention can still be harmful if it interferes with a child's ability to participate in his or her education to the fullest possible extent. Attendance at school is not the only factor in ensuring the participation in quality education. The international community must act to ensure that every child has the opportunity to perform at the highest possible level. Every child must be able to learn without undue distractions or duress from work.

Global March firmly believes that ending the economic exploitation of children can only be possible when free, compulsory and quality education is assured for all children regardless of gender, race, religion, and social or economic status. The elimination of child labour and education for all are two sides of one coin. One cannot be achieved without provision for the other. With governments, international agencies and civil society committing not to let education for all fail due to lack of funds, the elimination of child labour becomes a realistic goal. All stakeholders must take this inseparable relationship into account in their policy making, law enforcement, budgetary measures and developmental aid in order for all children to enjoy their childhood with books, not tools in their tiny hands.

Therefore, for the World Day Against Child Labour, this years’ theme Education is the Right Response to Child Labour is the most effective approach that should be adopted by all the stakeholders and social leaders to end exploitation of children. Global March is proposing to organize a campaign with Global March members at regional level as this theme counterpart Global March philosophy and position on child labour elimination.

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Sources:
Millennium Development Goals Report, 2006, p.7
2 EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007, p.67
3 EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007, p.69
ILO,Combating child labour through education 2008,
Reaching the unreached – Our common language- Global Task Force on Child Labor and Education for All -2007

• Ratify and implement ILO Convention 138 on the Minmum Age of Employment, ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, and the Convention of the Rights of the Child and its two optional protocols, within a timeline;
• Amend national laws, if necessary, to comply with the content of the Conventions above, and ensure that the national laws on the age of completing compulsory education and the minimum age of employment correspond with each other;
•  Make education compulsory up to the age of 16 years; Make education free for all, including uniforms, syllabus books, school meals, transportation, and any other hidden cost of education;
• Give a second chance to child labourers and other out-of-school children who have missed out on their opportunities to begin compulsory education at appropriate age,
•  Form a National Committee on Child Labour and Education in order to coordinate efforts to ensure basic education for all and to end child labour, including Ministries of Labour, Education, Finance, Social Welfare and other relevant ministries, law enforcement agencies, civil society and children;
• Invest, at least 6% of GNP for ensuring basic education for all children.

The Global March calls on Donor Countries and the International Community to:

• Commit their programs and policies to ending child labour;
• Meet the financial commitment made in the Dakar Framework of Action to ensure all children are in primary school
• Provide debt relief and do away with conditionality on overseas aid, allowing the
• developing countries with a time-bound and effective national plans to invest more efficiently in their children;
•  Invest more than 0.1% of their GNP for the overseas aid aimed directly at benefiting children, especially in ending child labour and ensuring education for all
  

Global March Calls all the businesses to:

• Ensure that there is no child labour involved in any segment of supply chain.
• Give minimum wages to the adult workers and ensure that labour laws are upheld in their businesses.

Global March Calls on all people to:

• Educate themselves on the issue of child labour and report any incidents of such crimes to appropriate authorities and to concerned NGOs.
• Boycott products and commodities that are likely to be tainted by the sweat of child labourers
• Strengthen the movement of Global March by participate in the activities organized by Global March partner in your region.
• Spread the word around. 

South America

12 de Junio: Día Mundial contra el Trabajo Infantil

Diversas organizaciones latinoamericanas que forman parte de la Marcha Global contra el Trabajo Infantil adhieren a esta iniciativa de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo - OIT.

Como en años anteriores, el próximo 12 de junio se conmemora el Día Mundial contra el Trabajo Infantil y diversas organizaciones preparan acciones para llamar la atención sobre este creciente problema.
Este año se pretende transmitir en todo el mundo el siguiente mensaje: "La educación es la respuesta acertada al trabajo infantil", lo que comprende:

• una educación para todos los niños, al menos hasta la edad mínima de admisión al empleo
• políticas educativas que luchen contra el problema del trabajo infantil impartiendo una educación de calidad y una formación de calificación con recursos adecuados
• una educación para promover la sensibilización sobre la necesidad de luchar contra el trabajo infantil.

Las instituciones que foman parte de la Marcha Global contra el Trabajo Infantil en sudamérica y que se reunieron en marzo en Perú para coordinar y planificar actividades son: 

250 millones
Este movimiento a nivel mundial se gesta en 1998, fruto de la preocupación de Organizaciones No Gubernamentales, sindicatos y niños y niñas que toman la decisión de dar a conocer la situación que viven cerca de 250 millones de niños y niñas que trabajan en el mundo.

La Marcha Global es hoy el mayor movimiento mundial de promoción y defensa de los derechos del niño y la niña, especialmente su derechos a estar libre de explotación económica y acceder a una educación universal, gratuita y de calidad.

Chile
Las cifras de la OIT indican que alrededor el mundo uno de cada seis niños entre los 6 y 17 años trabaja. En Chile, la Primera Encuesta Nacional de Actividades de Niños y Adolescentes, que realizó el Ministerio del Trabajo y Previsión Social y la OIT, con la colaboración del SENAME y el INE - entregada el año 2004 -, indicó que existirían alrededor de 107.676 niños y adolescentes chilenos que trabajan en condiciones calificadas como inaceptables. 

Paraguay
La Fundación Dequeni elaboró un documento a partir de diversos informes referidos a la realidad del trabajo infantil en Paraguay.

Entre las cifras relevantes, se señala que según la publicación de la OIT (Infancia y Adolescencia Trabajadora de Paraguay: Evolución 2001-2004 y análisis del modulo de la encuesta 2004 - Roberto Céspedes): “lo mas relevante y preocupante es que más de la mitad de la población de 5 a 17 años trabaja de una u otra forma: se trata del 53.2% o de 970.310 niños y niñas."

Descargar Documento
(Formato PDF, 768 kb, 29 págs.)

ONG Paicabí (Chile)
Fundacion Abrinq (Brasil)
Corporación Opción (Chile)
CTERA (Argentina)
Fundación Dequeni(Paraguay)
CESIP (Perú)
ACJ-YMCA (Colombia)
Trazos (Perú)
Centro de Desarrollo y Autogestión DYA (Ecuador)
Fundación Mundo Mejor (Colombia)

Corporación de Oportunidad y Acción Solidaria, Corporación OPCIÓN, IC Member, Global March Against Child Labour

OPCIÓN, cuenta con 50 Centros para la atención directa en 7 Regiones del país. Los programas de atención directa a niños y niñas se desarrollan bajo 3 líneas de acción: Programa de Protección Especial de Derecho , Programas Socioeducativos para Adolescentes Infractores de Ley , Programas de Promoción de Derechos.

Enlist Activites:

1. Acciones de sensibilización al sector empresarial
2. Realización de presentaciones de artistas nacionales en programas de televisión nacional, apoyando las actividades organizadas.
3. Participación en seminario organizado por la OIT, con documento de posición regional.
4. Entrega a las Secretarios Ministeriales del Trabajo de las 7 regiones del país, de documento de posición por profesionales de Opción y documento de opinión de niños respecto al tema central de la campaña. Participarán de esta actividad los niños del Proyecto Bicentenario, ejecutado por la institución, “Un Chile Apropiado para los niños y niñas”

Contact information:
www.opcion.cl

AID FOR ORPHANS AND THE DISABLED (AFOD) – Global March Against Child Labour National Partner

“AFOD is an organization led by young people. We are improving the quality of life of our most vulnerable citizens by challenging discrimination and providing solutions to break down barriers”

Activities Planning to do –

• Information Tables- Information tables placed in markets, public squares, musical events, theatre performances, religious centres, festivals, school hallways and many other places help to spread information about the Child labour issue and importance of education collect petition signatures, publicize events, attract supporters and organise Worst Forms of Child Labour a event in the evening on the main street.
• Spreading awareness through interacting with people in shopping malls

WAO - AFRIQUE (World Association for Orphans Africa's Section)

World Association for Orphans Africa's Section (WAO Afrique), from Togo, West Africa, works with child domestic workers. Domestic service is one of the most common forms of child labour. This group provides a range of education and training opportunities for child domestic workers and negotiates time off from work and grants to enable them to go to schoo

Activities:

• Sensitization in schools on Education
• Programs with media (debates, interviews etc…)
• Destruction of objects of violence  that are used in schools and at the work places (this activity will be presided by the Minister in charge of child protection and the wife of the Prime Minister) NB: Activities of the 12th and 16th June (African child day) are combined

Contact for more information :
E-mail : waoafrique@cafe.tg  web site : www.waoafrique.org

The International Centre on Child Labour and Education (ICCLE)

The International Centre on Child Labour and Education (ICCLE), the Education For All - Fast Track Initiative and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are organizing a panel discussion in Washington, DC, on June 12th to address this year’s theme: 

Education - The right response to child labor

Where:            World Bank J Building, J1-050 Auditorium - 701 18th Street, NW, Washington DC
When:             Thursday, June 12 2008
Time:              1:00-3:30 pm
RSVP:             infoshopevents@worldbank.org

This 12 June event will include a discussion among panelists followed by a wider debate with other participants. The panelists will cover ground on Government efforts in the North and South to confront this situation in our common endeavor to contribute to offering Education - The right response to child labor.1

GOVERNMENT OF GHANA (MMYE) IN COLLABORATION WITH PARTHERS
2008 World Day Against Child Labour Celebration
THEME : EDUCATION THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO CHILD LABOUR
OUTLINE OF ACTIVITIES
(partners : ILO/IPEC, EMPLOYERS, GLOBAL MARCH,UNICEF, EDUCATION
MINISTRY, TRADES UNION CONGRESS, DISTRICT ASSEMBLY)