Geneva, June 10 (SANA) Around 138 million children worldwide are still deprived of their rights to education, healthy development and play, while millions remain engaged in labor, including hazardous work, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a high-level event in Geneva ahead of the World Day Against Child Labour, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo said recent progress has shown that child labor can be reduced, but warned that the problem continues to affect millions of children around the world.
According to the latest estimates by the ILO and UNICEF, about 54 million children involved in labor are performing hazardous work that threatens their health, safety or development. More than half of them are between the ages of 5 and 11.
“Child labour is not inevitable,” Houngbo said, calling for stronger international efforts to eliminate the practice.
The event, held under the theme “Red Card to Child Labour,” brought together ministers, government officials, employers and labor organizations to discuss implementation of the Marrakesh Framework, a recently adopted global roadmap aimed at ending child labor.
Participants called for stronger laws and enforcement mechanisms, expanded access to free, quality education, broader social protection programs and increased access to decent work opportunities for adults.
They also stressed the need to address child labor in agriculture and global supply chains and to strengthen protections for children affected by conflicts and humanitarian crises.
The ILO, founded in 1919, is the United Nations‘ specialized agency responsible for promoting decent work and protecting workers’ rights. The organization has 187 member states.
N.J/ABD
