Geneva: Europe and the Arabs

The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Gilbert Houngbo, stated that childhood should be a time for learning, growth, and play. However, he noted that 138 million children today are "deprived not only of future opportunities but also of the experiences that every child has the right to enjoy." This statement was made during the opening of a high-level event held Tuesday at the ILO headquarters in Geneva to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labour. Ministers, government representatives, employers, labor organizations, and other stakeholders gathered under the theme: "A Red Card Against Child Labour: From Marrakech to Action." This information was included in the UN Daily News, a copy of which was received Wednesday morning.

The event aimed to explore ways to implement the commitments outlined in the "Marrakech Framework for Action," adopted a few months ago in the Moroccan city during the Sixth World Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour. The Framework recognized that child labour stems from poverty, informal sector employment, and the lack of decent work opportunities for adults. It established a renewed commitment to ending this phenomenon through urgent and coordinated action involving all stakeholders. The statement also called for strengthening Laws and their implementation mechanisms, expanding access to free, quality education, and providing comprehensive social protection and decent work for adults and young people of legal working age.

He also highlighted the need to address child labor in agriculture and global supply chains, protect children affected by crises and conflicts, and strengthen data, finance, and partnerships to accelerate progress towards eliminating child labor in all its forms.

"Child labor is not inevitable."
In his opening remarks, Hongbo emphasized that despite significant progress in all regions, the latest estimates from the ILO and UNICEF reveal that "138 million children remain trapped in child labor," including 54 million children engaged in hazardous work, more than half of whom are very young children aged 5 to 11.

The Director-General stressed the urgent need to accelerate progress, adding that the Marrakech Global Framework for Action provides "a very strong roadmap," recognizing the growing challenges that are "pushing more families into poverty," including economic crises, natural disasters, and climate change. Climate.

He concluded by saying: "The progress made since 2000 proves that it is possible to eliminate child labor." Let us never accept that child labor is inevitable, because it is not. It is worth noting that at this time last year, it was announced that nearly 138 million children were working in 2024 – including some 54 million engaged in hazardous work that could jeopardize their health, safety, or development, according to new estimates from the International Labour Organization and UNICEF.

Since 2000, the number of working children has fallen by almost half, from 246 million to 138 million, a promising decline that demonstrates the world has a blueprint for ending child labor. However, much work remains to be done. In this context, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated, "Too many children are still toiling in mines, factories, and fields, often performing dangerous work just to survive." Child labor is not defined as all work done by children, but rather as work that robs children of their childhood and is often detrimental to their health and development.