Today is World Day Against Child Labour: Originally launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2002, its purpose is to bring the world’s attention to the extent and state of child labour, across the globe, as well as spur action needed to eliminate it.
This year the joint campaign of World Day Against Child Labour, and the World Day for Safety and Health at Work aims to accelerate action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by world leaders in 2015, specifically target SDG #8.8 of safe and secure working environments for all workers by 2030 and SDG # 8.7 of ending all forms of child labour by 2025.
With our continued commitment to tackle SDG1 No Poverty, SDG2 Zero Hunger, SDG3 Good Health and Well Being, SDG4 Quality Education, SDG5 Gender Equality, we are hopeful that by helping vulnerable kids, who would otherwise find themselves on the streets fending for themselves through low skilled, unstable jobs, or forced into labour or begging by parents who cannot afford to send them to school, or trafficked into domestic servitude or forced child labour , we can do our part to achieve SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
These efforts are as pressing as ever in Tanzania. According to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs of The United States Department of Labor “children engage in the worst forms of child labor, including in mining, quarrying, and domestic work. As part of the USDOL-funded project, Global Research on Child Labor Measurement and Policy Development, Tanzania published a National Child Labor Survey, noting that 94.1 percent of working children are engaged in agriculture, 1 percent in Industry, and 4.9 percent in Services.”
As highlighted in this blog, the House of Blue Hope charity is working hard to prevent child labour within the rural poor communities, remove opportunities for trafficking and exploitation, and provide a full and quality education to the vulnerable young girls and boys in its care.
We share the sentiments expressed by the UN:
“The returns on the investment in ending child labour are incalculable. Children who are free from the burden of child labour are able to fully realise their rights to education, leisure, and healthy development, in turn providing the essential foundation for broader social and economic development, poverty eradication, and human rights.”
Help us continue our vital work, helping vulnerable young girls and boys enjoy their human rights, and the freedom to pursue an education, free from the threat of child labour and exploitation. Get in touch via info@houseofbluehope.org or via our social media presence: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter