Children Are More Vulnerable To Risk Than Adults, Says ILO
Children Are More Vulnerable To Risk Than Adults, Says ILO: International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director-General Guy Ryder on the occasion of World Day against Child Labor said that about 73 million children are in hazardous work almost half of the 152 million children aged 5 to 17 still in #child labor.
These children are working in mines and fields, factories and homes, exposed to pesticides and other toxic substances, carrying heavy loads or working long hours. Many suffer lifelong physical and psychological consequences. Their very lives can be at risk.
No child under the age of 18 should perform hazardous work as stipulated in the ILO’s Conventions on child labor, namely the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, 1999 (No. 182).
They require governments, in consultation with the social partners, to establish and enforce a national list of hazardous work prohibited for children. Ratification of these Conventions by 171 and 181 ILO member States respectively – close to universal ratification reflects a commitment to end child labor in all its forms.
It is time to step up action. Children are more vulnerable to risk than adults. Urgent action is needed to ensure no child under the age of 18 is in hazardous child labor, Guy Ryder said. On World Day Against Child Labor 2018, the spotlight is on ending hazardous child labor.
It is a priority in the wider ILO campaigns against child labor and for safe and healthy work for youth of legal working age Generation Safe & Healthy. A new #ILO report, Towards the Urgent Elimination of Hazardous Child Labour, finds that certain occupational hazards, including exposure to psychological stress and to commonly-used chemicals, are even more serious for children than previously thought.
The report outlines the crucial and mutual link between education and health: lack of education increases the risk of negative health outcomes from work and conversely, quality education has positive and protective effects on health.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda reaffirms the urgency of eliminating the worst forms of child labour, which includes hazardous work, the need to promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, and sets the target of ending all forms of child labour by 2025.
For More Information & Videos Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel