World Day Against Child Labor

June 12 is World day Against Child Labour - a day set aside to promote awareness and action to tackle child labour. In a message for the Day, the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation, Juan Somavia, says this year's focus is on girls trapped in child labour, toiling in the fields from sunrise to sunset. ILO is also highlighting the plight of girls working unseen in domestic labour or those living and working on the streets around the world. The ILO estimates that some 100 hundred millions girls are in child labour, with 53 million in hazardous work. Most importantly , the organisation says that investing in girls' education and training is an investment in equality and social progress. It adds that a girl with education is better equipped to break the cycle of child labour and poverty. The UN childrens agency, UNICEF, which is also marking the day, has called for action to tackle the underlying poverty that leads to child labour. UNICEF stresses that improving access to quality education, particularly for girls in poor and rural areas, is a key part of an effective overall approach.

These Babies Desparately Need Your Help

While reading a non-related article on msnbc.com, I came across another article, and was reminded of a disturbing crisis that was brought to my attention nearly ten years ago. The issue is the "restavek's" of Haiti. This, if not already, should be, a subject that is chilling to the bone for parents, as well as the international community at large. The plight of these children will bring tears to your eyes.

Restavek's (stay withs) are the poorest of children in Haiti, who have been committed to servitude by their parents. The parents are convinced that their children will get the necessary education and care that they themselves are unable to provide. Although most of us will judge and deem this unimaginable, what has to be understood is that I am talking about the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. For these poor families, there is, unfortunately, no other alternative; and, the wish to educate these children and provide better lives for them is what is being exploited.

It is estimated that approximately 300,000 children are either left on the door, or through other arrangements, given to families to work for the assurance of obtaining education. What is actually occurring, is these children are most often abused. Most will lose total contact with their families, and never see them again. 80% of these children are female, are between the ages of 10 -14, are sexually abused, and are forced to work 10 - 14 hour days. Generally, by age 15, these children are released, and forced to live on the streets -- many opting to work as prostitutes in order to survive. If a young girl is raped and becomes pregnant, she is thrown out to fend for herself...no matter what the age.

This atrocity should no longer exist as we travel into the 21st Century. It is so easy for us to overlook these children. Afterall, they are not our responsibility, right? Well, in all good conscience, I cannot believe that to be the truth. It is our responsibility to protect all children. I look at things this way, we never know when we might need something in return, and this could be any one of our children one day. Please get involved.

To find out more on this subject, please go to: http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/Advancing1/html/haiti.htm, http://www.haitiprojects.org/, and, http://beyondborders.net/.


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