Today, we mark #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour 2021, with the Theme, “Act Now: End Child Labour!”

World Day Against Child Labour is celebrated annually on 12th June, world over and was established in 2002 by The International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations Agency that regulates the global community of work.The aim of this observance is to continually raise awareness and concerns about the exploitation of children and their childhood.

The global Coronavirus pandemic and its consequent effects on lives and economies caused a great spike in the statistics of child labour globally. In Nigeria and Imo State, in particular, young children not only hawk wares, but are also engaged in manual labour.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 73 million children between ages 5-17 are working in dangerous conditions and reiterates that child labour reinforces intergenerational poverty, threatens national economy and undercuts rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. To tackle this problem therefore, governments at all levels must consolidate and strengthen efforts on various laws against child labour.

Child Labour is a menace, which we must all join hands to tackle . A child is meant to learn, not to earn. We must act now and stand up for our children; the less/under-privileged and pledge not to employ them, but rather provide them with educational support.

H.E. Barr. Chioma Uzodimma
First Lady, Imo State

#childlabourday #worldagainstchildlabour #internationallabourorganization #stopChildLabour