“World Must Act Soon to Eliminate Child Labour by 2025”, Says FAO Director-General

The COVID-19 pandemic has extensively heightened the situation by making people more vulnerable to exploitation, intensifying poverty within the populaces and endangering hard-battled gains in the battle against child labour.

The International Labour Organization (FAO) Director-General Qu Dongyu addressing the Global Solutions Forum on child work, said the world must act soon to eliminate child labour by 2025.

According to FAO, Child labour is a serious breach of human rights; child labour deprives kids of living their childhood. Child labour hampers the physical and mental health development of children.

However, not all work done by children is viewed as child labour; a lot of it isn’t age-appropriate, ILO said. Vulnerable people, especially in the poor areas, are left with no choice but to send kids for work for earning a livelihood.

The destructive impacts of this coronavirus pandemic are observed in every nation. The poorest countries suffer the most from the pandemic, for example, youngsters in child labour and victims of exploitation and forced work, especially girls and women.

 Pay cuts impact these vulnerable groups more because of the absence of admittance to social security, including health care coverage and joblessness benefits.

The ILO’s Flagship International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor and Forced Labor (IPEC+) has continuous activities in 62 nations, all impacted by the pandemic.

Moreover, school closures have driven many more kids to work in the market to contribute some money at home.

However, as per the ILO, a joint and conclusive action could reverse this situation. Teaming up with the Alliance 8.7 global partnership, ILO started the International Year to Elimination of Child Labour to support legal and practical action to eliminate child labour by 2025.