Together we can eliminate child labour
Together we can eliminate child labour
The writer is ILO’s Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific
Sixty-two million children in the Asia Pacific region are in child labour. It is a simple sentence to write but far harder to comprehend. Sixty-two million children. Spend a moment to think just how big that number is — roughly similar to every child aged under 14 in the Philippines, Viet Nam and Japan combined.
But behind the big numbers are individual children, each with hopes and dreams for the future.
In Pakistan, children like Usman Bilal, dreamt of going to school and playing with other children, while unfortunately working as a child labourer. With the support of stakeholders, Bilal was rehabilitated and now runs his own business while promoting child rights as an activist. This change in circumstances demonstrates that dedicated efforts among stakeholders can help children realise their dreams, rather than working as child labourers.