Implementing Durban Call to Action in eliminating child labour
14 June 2022 |
2:40 am
With three years away from 2025, the last two decades have seen 94 million fewer children in child labour.
Child labour in mining Photo: medium.com
With three years away from 2025, the last two decades have seen 94 million fewer children in child labour.
In the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7, the world is committed to ending all forms of child labour by 2025.
To achieve the shared goal of zero child labour, thousands of delegates from governments, workers and employers, United Nations (UN) agencies, civil society and regional organisations agreed to focus on specific key areas, including child labour in agriculture, children’s rights to education and universal access to social protection.
The delegates gathered at the 5th Global Conference on Elimination of Child 0Labour on May 20, 2022, in Durban, South Africa, where a Durban Call to Action was adopted.
Its goal is to accelerate progress on ending child and forced labour, after years of reversal due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global vulnerabilities.
The Durban Call to Action is a landmark in the movement against child labour because, for the first time, children are signatories to the document and made clear their expectations for decision-makers to step up their efforts.
The Durban Call to Action is a document that emphasises the need for urgent action to end child labour.
The event was also special because it was the first to be held in Africa, and close to the celebration of the World Day on the Elimination of Child Labour, marked every June 12.
They committed to taking measures, including gender-responsive measures, to tackle child labour, particularly its root causes and reignite and upscale activities towards SDG target 8.7 to end child labour in all its forms by 2025, recognising the central role of public labour administrations, in coordination with other relevant authorities.
The Guardian gathered that implementation of the Durban Call to Action requires immediate, intensified, gender-responsive, well-coordinated, multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and rights-based action to scale up efforts to eliminate child labour.
It is guided by the SDGs, a 15-year cycle of increasingly ambitious action to build a better, more equal world.
The action includes, commitments in six different areas, part of which is to make decent work a reality for adults and youth above the minimum age for work by accelerating multi-stakeholder efforts to eliminate child labour, with priority given to the worst forms of child labour.
The Guardian gathered that the actions would create momentum expected to drive positive change towards the year 2025.
Labour expert in their remarks, said there are millions of reasons to be optimistic about ending child labour – one for every child in child labour today.
They acknowledged that there have been some major wins in the fight to end child labour over the years.
The impact of the actions to accelerate child labour elimination, The Guardian gathered, is expected to help fast-track progress towards achieving the SDG 8.7 target to eliminate child labour by 2025.
Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Convention 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and ILO Convention 138 on the Minimum Age of Employment recognise the right of every child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to interfere with the child’s education or harm the child’s health.
On what this means for Africa, International Labour Organisation (ILO) Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon, said decisive strides made by governments, employers and workers’ organisations resulted in a decline in child labour of 86 million since 2000.
She said about 19.6 per cent or one-fifth of all African children are in child labour with nine per cent of African children being in hazardous work.
From available statistics, she hinted that child labour increased in sub-Saharan Africa between 2012 and 2016, in contrast to continued progress elsewhere in the world.
This, according to her, is despite the targeted policies implemented by African governments to combat child labour, which shows that continued business as usual will not address the fundamental development deficit.
To address the challenge, she revealed that stakeholders in Africa have been developing relevant approaches and strategic frameworks to accelerate actions against child labour and pave the way to ending child labour by 2025.
She said Nigeria among other African nations identified some priority milestones to achieve this year to make some important progress in the continent.
She urged governments, workers and employers, civil society, academic institutions, the private sector, international organisations, regional organisations and even individuals to propose specific actions, that contribute to ending child labour.
“I call on you to participate in eliminating child labour in our communities, our workplaces, our households, by consuming responsibly, raising funds, supporting governments’ actions and telling the world through their action pledges,” she said.
She stressed that all global conferences on the Elimination of Child Labour have led to ratifications of ILO child labour conventions, major funding commitments, and tangible interventions for the elimination of child labour.
“By 2030, we could reduce child labour further still. We just need to focus on the six key areas outlined in the Durban Call to Action. We must act on the root causes of child labour, including expanding education and social protection for all. And we must continue to call for action,” she added.
Indeed, child labour reinforces inter-generational poverty, threatens national economies and undercuts rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It is the combined product of many factors, such as poverty, social norms condoning it, lack of decent work opportunities for adults and adolescents, migration and emergencies.
It is not only a cause but also a consequence of social inequities reinforced by discrimination.
According to labour experts, effective action against child labour must address the full range of vulnerabilities that children face and require the implementation of policies and programmes that can contribute to the elimination of child labour through sustainable solutions to address its root causes.
Director-General of the ILO, Guy Ryder, said the fight against child labour is at a crossroads.
In his statement on this year’s World Day Against Child Labour, he warned that the choices made by governments now would make or break the lives of millions of children.
He said social protection was one of the most powerful measures to prevent child labour, providing families with income security in difficult times.
President of Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPAN), Aderemi Adegboyega, said with the body’s code of conduct, it does not engage workers below the age of 18 years.
He submitted that the government is trying its best to reduce the incidence of child labour, but cited the poverty level in the country, as one of the factors that are entrenching child labour.
He argued that some parents are the ones forcing their children into labour by directly asking them to work on their farms, or asking them to fend for themselves to make an income, describing it as ‘unfair’, as it delays the child’s mental development.
With these, he said that labour legislation be seriously enforced to make sure that such incidences are reduced to the barest minimum, noting that this can only work when the inspection arm of the labour ministry is up to the task.
“On-street trading, and begging, the government can on its own enforce that kids shouldn’t engage in street trading. The regulatory agencies should go to where these goods originate and tell the manufacturers that they don’t want to see them on the streets. You cannot arrest the people selling it only.
“Also, there should be domestic employment standards for apprentices and domestic staff,” he said.
Similarly, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), said eliminating child labour in the country is a work in progress, as relevant laws are still being tinkered with to ensure they are eliminated.
It stressed the need for the government to enforce proper sanctions, which is still lacking, and the need to set up machinery for legislative input as well as increasing the capacity of labour inspectors to enforce compliance.
NECA said despite Nigeria’s ratification of the ILO’s Child Labour Convention 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, and Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, there was still a high prevalence of exploitation in the informal agricultural and mining sectors.
It said: “No nation can afford to mortgage its future leaders through unwholesome activities such as child labour. We frown at any work which deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity and which is harmful to their physical and mental development.
“While poverty and unemployment are major drivers of child labour in Nigeria, made worse especially with the advent of COVID-19, it is still not an excuse to interfere with their education or expose them to forms of labour suited for adults.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had warned that the pandemic and resulting lockdowns should not mean any compromise in protecting children from hazardous and exploitative labour.
Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore, noted that where children are exploited, upholding the rule of law was essential in guaranteeing their right to justice.
She stated that with poverty comes child labour as households use every available means to survive, adding that while prospects vary by country, a one percentage point rise in poverty leads to at least a 0.7 percentage point increase in child labour.
Related
Latest
22 mins ago
Davido has reacted to accusations by song producer Napji that he failed to pay his royalties for the production of his songs. Napji alleged he is the brain behind three of Davido’s hit songs. In an “X” post, he disclosed that he produced the songs ‘Jowo’, ’Fem’ and Sunlight In the album' A better time’,…
47 mins ago
The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has accused the former Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello, of withdrawing $720,000 from state's account to pay for his child’s school fees in advance. Olukoyede disclosed this during a press briefing on Tuesday, April 23. "A certain governor, because he knows he is…
1 hour ago
Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal. The actor filed the appeal at the Lagos Division, seeking to overturn his conviction by a Lagos State High Court for the sexual assault of a minor. Baba Ijesha, represented by his counsel Kayode Olabiran, argued that…
1 hour ago
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen over 300 accounts over suspicious forex flows. The EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who stated this on Tuesday said the agency discovered a new financial scheme that poses a significant threat to the stability of the foreign exchange market. According to Olukoyede, the scheme, known as the…
1 hour ago
Due to popular demand, Founders Connect Live returns for an even more electrifying event on Saturday, May 25, 2024. In partnership with Africhange, this highly anticipated event promises to be a convergence of entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, creators, and tech talents who will come together for an exciting day of invaluable networking, thought-provoking conversations, and innovative…
1 hour ago
Music Producer Kehinde Emmanuel, popularly known as Napji has accused Davido of not paying him his full royalties. Napji alleged he is the is the brain behind three of Davido's hit songs. In an "X" post, he disclosed that he produced the songs ‘Jowo’, ’Fem’ and Sunlight In the album A better time', but has…
2 hours ago
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has vowed to resign his position if former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello is not prosecuted. Olukoyede said this in a chat with journalists at the EFCC Headquarters in the Jabi area of Abuja on Tuesday. The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello…
2 hours ago
Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N8 billion fraud. The PUNCH reports EFCC arrests Sirika over N8bn Nigeria Air fraud that Sirika got to the EFCC's Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command in Abuja around 1pm on Tuesday. Sirika is currently being…
2 hours ago
Former governor of Imo State Emeka Ihedioha has left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after 26 years. Ihedioha announced his exit from PDP in a Tuesday letter addressed to the party’s chairman in the Mbutu Ward of Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. According to him, the PDP has taken on a path…
3 hours ago
Kim Kardashian has reportedly lost over 100,000 followers on Instagram. This significant drop comes after the release of Taylor Swift’s new album, which includes a track that fans speculate is a diss aimed at Kardashian. The song in question, titled “thanK you aIMee,” is featured on Swift’s latest album “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.”…
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.