2021 was declared the international year for the elimination of child labor by the United Nations General Assembly. Over the years, children have been subjected to forced labor in agricultural labor, industrial sector, and service delivery. Over 152 million children between the age of five and seventeen were in child labor. This is a sad statistic that shows how children are deprived of their childhood, potential, and dignity. The subjection to forced labor is not only experienced in developing countries but across the world where almost one in ten children worldwide is subjected to child labor.
Every 12th June of the year is set to raise awareness of the plight of child labor across the world. Children experience physical, mental, social, and moral harm when subjected to forced labor. They fail to concentrate on their schooling and separates them from the family love. The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported that the fight against child labor saw a 38% decrease between 2000 and 2016 but still over 152 million children were involved in child labor in 2017. These children are at risk due the dangerous working conditions since more than half of them work in hazardous environments. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic posed more challenges to the fight against child labor as more children were forced to work to earn a living after their parents’ jobs were interfered with.
Lifecare Children & Women Empowerment Initiative (LCCWEI) has been at the forefront to help protect the children in Africa by facilitating schooling and feeding children and families in dire needs. As nations plan to raise awareness against child labor, LCCWEI has conducted sessions to spread awareness in Western Africa and teaching best practices in the elimination of child labor and promoting their wellness. We dream of having a child-labor-free world in line with Target 8.7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
