World Day Against Child Labor: What does it represent?

The phenomenon of child labor exists all over the world and takes different forms in each country. Whether physical labor, paid or not, young children or adolescents, child labor can have a negative impact on the physical, mental, social well-being, and the overall educational development of children.

World Day Against Child Labor aims to raise awareness of this global phenomenon and promote children’s rights. 

This day was originally established by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2002 and continues to this day. And, like every other year, this day has a special theme: ‘The impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on children’s work.’

“While the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic threaten the livelihoods of millions of workers in global supply chains, children’s rights must be at the heart of business activities,” said Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, UNICEF’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, in the publication of the guide for businesses to take account children’s rights in global supply chains.

According to a United Nations article on the phenomenon of child labor, among other things, it is shown that Africa and Asia are responsible for 9 out of 10 children working worldwide. The rest is divided between the United States (11 million), Europe & Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab states (1 million).
 
Meanwhile, as it is in the world, this phenomenon is present in Kosovo too. In fact, the International Labor Organization together with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, in 2004 launched the Program for the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) in Kosovo.

Hoping that this phenomenon will be addressed by always keeping in mind the rights of children as fundamental human rights, TOKA supports the initiative this year as well.

// This campaign is part of the Environmental activities, which is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)) through its Human Rightivism Program.