IPEC: world day against child labor

The International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) was created on June 12, 1992, with the overall goal of progressively eliminating child labor by strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and by promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labor. IPEC currently has operations in 88 countries and it is the largest program of its kind globally.

The number and range of IPEC’s partners have expanded over the years and now include employers’ and workers’ organizations, other international and government agencies, private businesses, community-based organizations, NGOs, the media, parliamentarians, the judiciary, universities, religious groups and, of course, children and their families.

There is, however, a great deal of work ahead…
Some children, both boys and girls, who live in a slum in the Indian locality of Shivpurva, collect scrap from a large garbage bin. It is a common scene in the entire city of Varanasi. When asked, one of them quickly replies that they are doing what they can to support their families. They know nothing about their rights. Like them, there are scores of young rag-pickers who spend the whole day on the roads.

Child labor not only prevents children from acquiring the skills and education they need to have a better future, it also perpetuates poverty and affects national economies through losses in competitiveness, productivity and potential income. Withdrawing children from the clutches of child labor, providing them with education and assisting their families with training and employment opportunities contribute directly to creating decent job opportunities for adults.

Sources: International Labour Organization/BNET