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GLOBAL MARCH
AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
South Asia Regional Secretariat
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PRESS RELEASE
"Call for Urgent Action"
on Global March Fifth Anniversary
17 January 2003 - Five years after setting
out from Manila on a crusade against child labour, the Global
March marks its fifth anniversary today with a worldwide call
for urgent action. It began with an 80,000 km march-through
Asia, Africa, Europe and the America mobilising millions of
people to join the fight against child labour. Child workers
in Nepal concerned centre (CWIN) played important role as
the National Coordinator for the event. Global March Against
Child Labour - South Asia (Secretariat based in CWIN) since
September 2002 has been working as an expression of regional
solidarity on the issue.
Decades of denial have finally given way
to the realisation that no society can hope to prosper when
its children are being exploited. In South Asia, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Pakistan and Srilanka have already ratified the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO Convention 182
on Worst Forms of Child Labour. The adoption of Convention
182 and growing awareness of the importance of basic education
is indeed a progressive move towards the common objective
But at the same time, the experience in the past decade with
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has shown that
without vigilance and commitment, promises never leave the
paper they are printed on. Global March, therefore calls for
an urgent call for action.
Since its start the Global March has brought
together a movement of over 2000 partners in 140 countries
to lead the fight against child labour. As a united voice
for NGOs, trade unions, teachers associations, and individual
activists, the Global March has time and again reminded the
world that all children must be protected from exploitation
and abuse. The common practice of using young children as
child servants, soldiers, prostitutes, plantation workers,
drug traffickers, or ragpickers has been a disgrace for the
whole of humanity. According to ILO estimation, 246 million
of the total children population are engaged in child labour
among which 179 million are involved in its worst forms. This
means one out of eight children (5-17 yrs) are engaged in
hazardous child labour. The maximum number of these belong
to the Asia Pacific region accounting to 127 million, which
is 60% of the total child labour population.
In Nepal, 2.6 million children are engaged
in different sectors of child labour. Some 127,000 are involved
in most hazardous and worst forms of child labour. Ongoing
conflict situation in Nepal has adverse effects not only in
general but also in the increase in number of children working
in exploitative conditions. In this context, the state obligation
for the immediate action cannot be overlooked. The South Asia
Regional Coordinator of Global March Against Child Labour
and President of CWIN Mr. Gauri Pradhan said, "The complexity
of the problem clearly calls for the mutual partnership of
government, civil society and all concerned to protect children
from child labour exploitation and for needed transformation
in the adherence to the rights of children enshrined in national
and international laws and conventions without further delay."
With the Global March, child labourers themselves
have passionately pleaded the case that children should be
in good schools and not be put to work. "Children are
the future of the country, but they are working. I want to
ask the governments, what their future is?" said Pintu,
a former child stone crusher.
"In his message of support, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan called on the world community to make ending child
labour a common cause. "Few human rights abuses are so
widely condemned, yet so widely practised," he noted.
"The big challenge, as so often, lies in the implementation
of good intentions. The Global March Against Child Labour
inspires us in that mission. Let us make it a priority. Because
a child in danger is a child that cannot wait."
South Asia Regional Secretariat
Global March Against Child Labour
Note: Global March Against Child
Labour, South Asia Regional Secretariat has been functioning
from the premises of CWIN, since 2002.
The secretariat will be responsible for
leading and coordinating regional participation in the global
actions against child labour. It will also network with existing
regional networks and institutions related to Global March.
The secretariat would also liaison with other regions and
Global March International Secretariat.
Contact:
GLOBAL MARCH AGAINST CHILD LABOUR,
SOUTH ASIA REGIONAL SECRETARIAT
C/O Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN)
PO Box 4374, Rabibhawan. Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: 009771 278064 / 282255 Fax - 009771 278016
Email: globalmarch@mail.com.np,
globalmarch_sa@yahoo.com
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