12 June 2019
World Day Against Child Labour
The International Labour Organization (ILO) was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. It was founded on the belief that lasting peace is possible only if it is based upon social justice. This year ILO is completing 100 years of advancing social justice and promoting decent work.
ILO launched the first World Day Against Child Labour in 2002, as a way to highlight the plight of these children and to join efforts to fight against it.
Child labour refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school, obliging them to leave school prematurely or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.
In its most extreme forms, child labour involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities – often at a very early age.
All children have a right to education, leisure, and healthy development. We must move much faster if we are to end child labour, and we need to do it together.
Even today, 152 million children are still in child labour. Of these, 73 million are engaged in hazardous work that directly harms their health, safety or moral development. They are deprived of an adequate education, leisure and basic freedom. Many are exposed to the worst forms of child labour, slavery, or other forms of forced labour, illicit activities such as drug trafficking and prostitution, as well as involvement as child soldiers in armed conflict.
2019 Theme: Children shouldn’t work in fields, but on dreams!
Child labour occurs in almost all sectors, yet 7 out of every 10 of these children are working in agriculture.
What can we do?
Collaborate with networks actively engaged in identifying, rescuing and rehabilitating such children. These offer legal assistance, medical care, guidance & counselling, possibilities for a formal education and even foster homes to children separated from their families.
GIVE TODAY AND HELP THESE HIGHLY VULNERABLE CHILDREN!
8 June
World Oceans Day
Initiated in 2002, we have an opportunity on this day to raise global awareness of the benefits derived from the ocean, and our individual and collective duty to use its resources sustainably.
Our oceans generate most of the oxygen we breathe. They regulate our climate, feed us and clean the water we drink.
Yet human activities are taking a terrible toll on the ocean. Vulnerable ecosystems such as corals and important fisheries are being damaged by marine pollution, over-exploitation and destructive fishing practices. Increased sea-temperatures, rise of sea-level and ocean acidification caused by climatic change pose a further threat to marine life, coastal and island communities and national economies. The oceans are further being violated by piracy, illicit trade of drugs, arms and ammunition, terrorism, human trafficking. Their waters are being tarnished and poisoned. Will we just stand and watch?
There is actually but one global ocean that connects us all. Within it are five distinct oceans: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Southern Ocean. We are all connected to the ocean, whether we live inland or on the coast.
Think about how the ocean affects you and how you affect the ocean. Even small modifications to our everyday habits will make a difference.
The theme of World Oceans Day 2018 was: “Clean our Oceans.” Reduce the amount of plastic we use in order to reduce the plastic pollution that is causing tremendous harm to our marine resources.
The theme for 2019 is “Gender and the Ocean”: an opportunity to explore the gender dimension of humankind’s relationship with the ocean. The importance of gender equality for the effective conservation and sustainable use of oceans and marine resources is increasingly being recognized. A concerted action towards the empowerment of women is still needed in all ocean-related activities such as marine scientific research, fisheries, labour at sea, migration by sea, policy-making and management.
Our Ocean is Our Future. Pass it on, clean!
Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC
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