Child labour: EU Commission, committed to “ending modern slavery”

“On this World Day against Child Labour, many children around the world continue to be subjected to forced labour, child labour, and other forms of exploitation. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there are still 160 million children facing child labour, half of which are exploited in hazardous work”. This was stated in a joint release on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour by the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the EU, Josep Borrell. In keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and the Durban Call to Action, and as laid down in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024, “the European Union is determined to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and extinguish all forms of child labour by 2025”. The release also points out that “The European Union's Comprehensive Strategy on the Rights of the Child (2021-2024) made the call for the eradication of child labour a central feature of its global dimension and, together with the first-ever Youth Action Plan in External Action, proposed concrete follow-up actions”. Finally, the EU aspires to become a member of Alliance 8.7 and along with its partners “is committed to accelerate all necessary efforts to protect and safeguard the rights of all children, and to ensure that they can enjoy their childhood free from all forms of exploitation and abuse”.
Valentina Bombelli