Child labour represents significant challenge in areas of conflicts

Dr. Hanif Hassan Al Qasim, Chairman of the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, has said that observing World Day Against Child Labour, on 12th June, confirms the importance of eliminating all forms of child labour.

In a statement issued by the centre, Al Qasim stressed that the issue of child labour has been neglected. He also highlighted the importance of addressing this issue in areas of conflicts and disasters.

He noted the estimate from the United Nations that some 1.5 billion people live in conflict areas, while highlighting that about 200 million people being affected annually by environmental, man-made or natural disasters.

Al Qasim stressed that the war in Syria is considered one of the major humanitarian crises in the 21st century, with hundreds of thousands of civilians killed and some 7.6 million people displaced, while the number of refugees has reached 4.8 million people.

He added that Yemen has also seen an increase in the rates of child labour, because of the war that followed the coup against its legitimate government. Al Qasim said that a joint press release issued by the International Labour Organisation and the International Organisation for Migration in February 2017 stated that the situation in Yemen is deteriorating. He further added that other Arab countries are suffering from instability and civil wars, such as Libya, which is witnessing the return of child labour.

Al Qasim called upon Arab countries to co-operate to eliminate the child labour and achieve this goal by 2030, while stressing that similar progress will be made in their sustainable development goals.

He explained that the only hope for affected families is to send their sons and daughters off to work. He added that to change this trend, communities that were torn apart by wars must witness peace and stability, which is the first step in eliminating the child labour.

At the end of his statement, Al Qasim highlighted the necessity of co-operation in the international community to support and assist countries that receive large numbers of refugees, including children.

source: WAM