“I feel very bad being a domestic worker as I am deprived of family love and care. It is very different from my home. I miss my village and my grandmother a lot.” (Girl, Nepal)
Today is World Day Against Child Labour. The most recent global estimates suggest some 120 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are involved in child labour, with boys and girls in this age group almost equally affected.1 Child labourers are at high risk of illness, injury and even death; often working long hours, living in poor conditions and denied access to education.
Aside from the risks associated with the work itself, many children are employed away from their families which threatens still further their well-being, social, emotional and intellectual development.
“Children who are torn away from their families and made to work can suffer long-term psychological damage, working and living in harmful environments where they are exploited, abused and neglected. Family strengthening, education and the economic empowerment of women are the most important things for eliminating child slavery. Our work suggests that if children are educated, then they will know their rights, and the chances of them being forced into labor will decrease. ” Former child slave and Chair of our Board, James Kofi Annan, Challenging Heights, Ghana
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Read more about Challenging Heights who have directly rescued hundreds of children forced to work in Ghana’s fishing industry. Their prevention work also protects tens of thousands of children in dozens of vulnerable communities. Challenging Heights promotes youth and family empowerment, children’s rights to education and freedom from forced labour in Ghana
Read about Butterflies whose programmes benefit children who live and work on the streets in Delhi, fending for themselves and their families. Butterflies’ major task is to ensure that the children become part of their education programme and continue formal schooling.
