CHILDREN'S
WORLD CONGRESS ON
CHILD LABOUR AND EDUCATION
4 - 8 September 2005, New Delhi, India
We are the Present, Our Voice Is the
Future
We,
the delegates of the Children's World
Congress on Child Labour, have come
to the city of New Delhi, India, from
all different parts of the world, speaking
different languages, growing up with
different cultures and backgrounds,
because we all know that child labour
must be eliminated. This Congress was
creating to rectify the injustice during
the last Congresses in Italy when children
from Asia and Africa were denied visas
to attend.
These
were already selected to participate
in the Congress. But, these children
did not get visas necessary to come
to Italy because the Italian government
thought them as a security risk. These
children felt much discriminated against
and their voices and opens were sourly
missed during the discussions in Italy.
But now we have revised the Italian
Declaration to include their ideas.
Each
country had a different selection process
to choose the delegates. All children
who participated in the selection process
had either faced child labour in their
own experience or had learned about
it and joined the fight against child
labour. With the passion and desire
to solve this terrible crime against
246 million children around the world,
we were all qualified to take part in
this Congress. This is why the discussions
for the last 3 days have been very fruitful.
This
is the responsibility, of all including
the business sector and others who hold
the power to help us in our struggle.
Before we even start to discuss about
child labour, we must appreciate that
the only way the children can have their
rights is in the situation of peace.
Peace is the most basic human right.
We have to ask ourselves why everyone
is not able to have something so fundamental.
While living in peace, every child has
not only a better chance of getting
their rights, but also has a stronger
potential to improve the world for their
generations and those to come. This
sentiment was echoed by the Delhi Congress,
saying that terrorism and conflict is
one of the greatest hindrances to a
child's success. Firstly, many children
are involved in the Children production
and execution of ammunitions for war.
Media and entertainment are promoting
hateful ideas and propaganda which perpetuated
war and crime and violence. Conflict
also often propagated by the corrupt
political heads for their personal benefit
and interest. In that way, a cycle of
hate and distrust between religions
and ethnic groups, when in reality the
conflict could be truly only between
businessmen and leaders. Also, this
gives way to warranted distrust of the
government. When the government is seen
as ineffective or corrupt, people become
aggravated and desperate so they turn
to terrorist groups. The government
of the world have to see education,
unemployment, poverty, terrorism and
child labour as connected entities.
While children have no choice in nations
waging wars, they are almost always
the most affected.
When
we started discussing about child labour,
we found that many issues were common
to all different parts of the world.
We heard personal stories from the Children
about; child trafficking, sexual exploitation,
working on fishing boat, cleaning car,
selling things on street or in market,
pornography, collecting garbage, transportation
and shipping, brick making and demolishing,
the making of medical utensils and other
dangerous materials, drug trafficking,
domestic servants, bounded laborers,
farming, mining, weaving carpets, child
soldiers, working in factories and sweatshops.
These children are misused everyday
and have no one to speak for them.
While
most people and governments are aware
these problems exist, they are hidden
or just ignored. This does not change
the fact they all are very dangerous
to the physical and mental well being
of a child. These forms of child labour
must be stopped.
Most
of the children have expressed that
they are losing faith in the governments
because of their empty promises. They
have made many promises to end child
labour through education and better
social services. But they do not act.
Their promises are not met with real
commitment or resources.
While
the governments put an enormous amount
of money to weapons and war, there are
still children who cannot read or write.
They have no homes to live in or food
to eat. The government must take the
needs of children as a priority. They
must provide all that is necessary to
live while still protecting our rights.
Governments
must provide compulsory education of
quality at free of cost. Schools must
provide skilled teachers who are qualified.
Education must also be provided equally
to all children regardless of gender,
race, economic status, religion, places
of birth, citizenships, caste, disability,
indigenousness or languages. Every country
has to make sure the issue of child
labour is taught in every school.
There
should be a mechanism to check that
the teachers are doing their job well
and these laws to provide education.
As it is a responsibility of governments
to protect our rights, end child labour,
and provide free, equal education and
good quality, we have many demands for
the governments. In order to do this,
teachers must be provided with a good
standard of living, meaning higher wages,
housing which is close to the school
and or transportation. The position
of teacher is a respected authority
in a society so when an teacher is chosen
he or she should be respectable. . They
have to teach without discrimination
or bias. They should be focused and
passionate about educating and interacting
with children. They should be knowledgeable
and properly educated themselves. They
also must be child friendly, refraining
from using physical or metal abuse or
humiliation as means of discipline.
There should be a student union where
their concerns and ideas are addressed.
This union should be able to create
a set of guidelines that teachers and
administrators must follow.
School
facilities, when poor, also are a great
barrier to a student receiving an proper
education. Schools must have separate
toilets for boys and girls, both must
be clean and sanitary. The physical
structure of the school must be a safe
and well kept building. There needs
to be a library and laboratory. Schools
need to be well equipped with proper
equipment with electricity, lighting,
fans in hot areas and heat in cool areas.
Schools must have clean water available
to the students within the facility.
Schools must provide first aid and a
trained heath care professional. It
has been proven that when students in
developing nations are given food at
school, attendance increases and performance
improves. Many girls are left out of
schools because they have to care for
their younger brothers and sisters therefore
we propose that government crèches
are mandated. Childhood is not just
study; we must also be provided with
resources for extracurricular activities
such as sports, arts and play. In many
places abroad only primary education
is provided for and continuing to secondary
education is not accessible. There are
not enough schools and even when they
are schools, many can not afford school
fees for higher education. The gap between
rich and poor is evident in school.
Public schools are not now providing
the same standards as private institutions.
This gap must be filled.
After
disasters, educations must be continued.
Poverty of a country, hardship of a
country will only increase if we do
not provide for education. Vacations
should coincide with the harvest season
so farm families don't have to take
their children out of school in agricultural
areas.
Also,
during travel to and from school, students
particularly girls are at risk for trafficking.
It is for these reasons that safe transportation
needs to be provided. The security forces
of bordering countries must work together
because all instances of inter-country
trafficking happened because of neglectful
or corrupt officials who see the problem
and profit from it or do nothing.
Another
practice that causes child labour is
child marriage. When children marry
young they often have to discontinue
their education. They have children
younger and most of times have many
more. This can cause over population
and poverty, two factors related to
child labor.
Over
70% of child labor takes place in agriculture.
This is strenuous labour, which involves
dangerous tools and pesticides. The
countries have lack of machinery so
they use children to physical labor
so it is necessary to give thee machinery.
When
we speak about the governments, we talk
not only about the role of national
governments but also other governmental
bodies at international and regional
levels that are responsible for protecting
our rights.
First
and most importantly, governments must
listen to children. The governments
make the issues of the children a priority
and include the children in the decision
making that affects our lives. Governments
must also provide opportunities for
children to participate and express
their opinions because they are the
future as well as the present and their
opinion should be valued
Governments
must criminalize child labour but should
never criminalize the children. The
children are victims of child labour.
They must create and carry out laws
that strictly punish the adults who
have abused children for their own interest.
Governments must support the children
if they want to bring the cases of them
being used as child labourers to court,
by providing a free attorney. Children
should be able to turn in the people
who have abused them without fear of
getting trouble. Instead, these children
be rescued and rehabilitated.
Governments
must fight against trafficking of children.
They must enforce the laws they already
have. But today's laws may not be enough
so they must make more effective ones.
The governments in countries where trafficking
happens must work together to have laws
which can criminalize the traffickers.
They need to make strict laws regarding
trafficking and implement them.
Governments
should encourage adults to work. Adults
should work so they have enough money
not to put their children to work. The
rights of adults as workers have to
be respected. Adult workers always have
to be allowed to unionize in their workplace,
because the union can help protect them
from dangerous working conditions and
provide them the minimum wage. It is
important that adults are protected
as workers so that the children do not
have to work.
Governments
must establish a National Plan of Action
to end child labour. These plans should
be made together with children.
Governments
must make sure that overseas development
aid (ODA) goes directly to its purpose
and does not end up in the wrong hands.
Governments
must make a system to put some trademarks
for the products that are not made by
child labourers.
Governments,
not only should they work with other
governments, they should also work with
civil society and trade unions to be
at most effective. In return, the civil
society must understand the demands
of the children and work together with
us to watch them closely so that the
governments will not fail us again.
NGOs also have to use the resources
that they have honestly and directly
for the children.
It
is also parents' responsibility to listen
to children.
The
children need love, respect and dignity.
It is in the hands of parents to provide
with happy and stable family life. Parents
must take their responsibility and vote.
When
they vote, they must also speak for
the children and vote for someone who
respects child rights. If the parents
are not acting in the best interest
of the child, the state must act on
the child's behalf. Parents must talk
about issues such as child sexual exploitation
or abuse even when they are not comfortable
because this is the only way a child
will know his or her natural rights
of safety and security. Parents must
understand the importance of a proper
education no matter of the gender of
the child.
Having
identified the current situation of
child labour and our demands to the
adults, we now show our commitment and
the role in ending child labour.
We,
the children, have to start initiatives
to spread awareness about child labour
in our own local communities and villages.
We must educate each other about child
labour, from a child to a child to promote
child participation.
We
must work at national level and establish
a Children's Parliament, in every country,
that is not just a symbol but a source
of power for children to change the
situations that we think are wrong.
This Parliament would elect a representative
to the country's government. These representatives
would also meet at a congress at regional
and at international to look at the
problems at a larger scale, and report
back to their governments and local
communities.
We
have to start a network of children
so that we can keep contact with each
other to be educated on the issue all
over the world. Only while working together,
we can have the power to take action
and to end child labour. This network
will be made up of children from all
over the world, and it will spread the
stories of child labour and opinions.
The network will help us plan more effective
actions in our struggle against child
labour. The network will also be a medium
to report on the governments' failing
or not failing their promises among
the children of the world. Also, we
believe for the vigilance of this movement,
children, both activists and child laborours
must meet on a regular basis.
We believe that the use of art, dance,
music and drama as a form of expression
and means to spread awareness about
child labour is very important. These
are ways in which children from any
background can connect with, understand
and enjoy. There are many ways to spread
the message against child labour, beyond
boarders, through performing art.
We
must also use media to spread our voices.
We would create our own form of media,
such as newspaper developed by the children
for the children, for us to freely express
our opinion. Media also must be more
friendly and tell the truth about child
labour and help us combat child labour.
We have to bring the efforts to end
child labour out to the villages, where
the fight is not as strong. Information
about child labour sometimes only reaches
cities and people in the villages do
not have information about the dangers
of child labour. We must get them involved.
We
promise to continue to take action to
eliminate child labour and make a better
world for children. Now, we ask all
of you to join us, because only together
can we truly achieve freedom for all.
In this friendship, we will create a
healthy and peaceful world for all.
Today,
the power is in our hands. We define
the future.
We are the present and our voice is
the future!
