WUNRN
THE GIRL CHILD
SIMPOC - Statistical Information
& Monitoring Programme on Child Labour - ILO - International Labour
Organization
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Resources
for the 2008 World Day Against Child Labour
This year
the World Day against Child Labour will be marked around the world with
activities to raise awareness that Education
is the right response to
child labour.
Child
labour – a barrier to education
The ILO has
estimated that some 165 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are
involved in child labour. Many of these children work long hours, often in dangerous
conditions.
Child labour
is closely associated with poverty. Many poor families are unable to afford
school fees or other school costs. The family may depend on the contribution
that a working child makes to the household’s income, and place more importance
on that than on education. And when a family has to make a choice between
sending either a boy or girl to school, it is often the girl who loses out.
More than
ever today, children need a good quality education and training if they are to
acquire the skills necessary to succeed in the labour market. However, in many
countries the schools which are accessible to the poor families are
under-resourced and inadequate. Poor facilities, over-sized classes, and lack
of trained teachers lead to low standards of education.
In the
Millennium Development Goals the United Nations and the broader international
community set targets of ensuring that by 2015 all boys and girls complete a
full course of primary education and that there is gender parity in education.
These
targets cannot be met unless the factors that generate child labour and prevent
poor families from sending children to school are addressed. Among the most
important steps required are:
Promoting
human rights and development
The right to
education occupies a central place in human rights and is essential for the
exercise of other human rights and development. It provides a means through
which economically and socially excluded children and youth can lift themselves
out of poverty. When children who have had the benefits of education grow up,
they are more likely to choose to send their own children to school.
Investing in
education is also a sound economic decision. A recent ILO study found that the
elimination of child labour and its replacement by universal education would
yield major economic benefits in addition to the social benefits. Globally
benefits exceed costs by a ratio of more than 6 to 1.
Join
us on the World Day Against Child Labour
We look
forward to a World Day that is widely supported by governments, employers and
workers organizations, UN agencies, and all those concerned with tackling child
labour and promoting education. We would like to invite you and your
organization to be part of the World Day. Join us and add your voice to the
worldwide movement against child labour. For more information contact ipec@ilo.org
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