Rights column
ILO
gives call to eradicate child labour from mines
photo:save the children UK |
The
International Labour Organisation (ILO) has given a call
to eradicate child labour from mines and quarries in the
next five to ten years. It has identified mining and quarrying
as one of the most dangerous sectors for children to work
in. Director-General of the ILO Juan Somavia said: "Children
who work in mines and quarries are in such danger - risking
their health and safety, and indeed their lives - that
action must be taken now. One million children are carrying
a burden far too heavy for their bodies and responsibilities
too heavy for their years. It's up to us, together, to
lift this weight from their shoulders, to get them out
of the mines and quarries and into school." The new
initiative by ILO calls on governments, workers' organisations
and employers, particularly those in the mining sector,
to work together to help remote mining and quarrying enterprises
- often small, family-based operations in the informal
sector - to become economically and environmentally sustainable
without the use of children as workers.
Nearly
14 countries are expected to sign an accord under which
they will try to eliminate child labour in all small-scale
mining and quarrying in a time bound manner. These countries
include Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire,
Ecuador, Ghana, Mali, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines,
Senegal, Tanzania, and Togo.
Source:
One world South Asia.
