New Delhi: Poverty is the biggest cause of child labour as children are forced to work as labourers to earn a livelihood. Fully eradicating poverty will take many years and so many organisations have come up to do their bit to slowly work on this social menace. With non-governmental organisations coming to the fore, a gradual change is observed in society. To understand more about World Day against child labour, let us know how and when this day was celebrated.
History of World Anti-Child Labor Day: The International Labor Organization (ILO) was the first to raise the issue of child labour. Then, in 2002, a law was passed unanimously under which it was declared an offence to make children under the age of 14 years work in risky environments. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has 187 member countries.
The ILO has passed many conventions to improve the working conditions in the world. They also provide necessary guidelines on wages, working hours, favourable environment and others. In 1973, ILO Convention no. 138 accepted and focused the attention of the people on the minimum age for employment, which aimed at raising the minimum age of employment for member states, thus eliminating child labour.
Significance of World Anti-Child Labor Day: Poverty is the biggest cause of child labour. Children from lower middle-income groups are forced to join the workforce to financially aid their families. In addition, many children are forced into child labour by organized criminal rackets. Therefore, the purpose of celebrating this day at the global level is to draw people's attention to these issues so that children can be protected from child labour.
How to celebrate World Anti-Child Labor Day? Local authorities, civil societies, and non-profit organizations organise seminars and other programs to draw attention to the problem of child labour and reach out to lawmakers to define guidelines for helping child labourers.
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