Perceptible reduction in child labour globally: report

Bangalore, June 12 (UNI) A perceptible reduction in child labour has been witnessed globally over the last four years, thanks to the awareness created on the issue and proactive campaign launched by both activists and governments across the world.

According to the Global Report under the Follow-up to the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work 2006, in the last four years, the total number of child labourers declined by 11 per cent across the globe and the number of children in hazardous work by 33 per cent.

Informing this at a function got up to mark 'World Anti-Child Labour Day, Mr Sanjiv Kumar, National Project Coordinator, Karnataka Child Labour Project, said though the fight against Child Labour continued to be a daunting task, sufficient empirical evidences were now available to show that a breakthrough was in the making.

He said political consensus on urgent action against child labour and greater global awareness of the linkages between child labour, poverty reduction and employment and education for all had forged a new broad alliance for concerted action to eradicate the scourge.

He said agriculture, animal husbandry and domestic works still engaged the largest number of hapless children, keeping them away from regular schools in the country. Although child labour in these sectors were neither prohibited by law nor considered hazardous works, it equally impaired the mental and physical health of working children, nipping their potential growth in the bud.

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