By
Rading Biko
In 2015, world
leaders agreed to end child labour by 2025 through the Sustainable Development
Goals. However, every day 160 million children are still working in illegal
mines, are forced to do domestic work, subjected to begging on the streets, are
being sexually exploited, and risking their lives.
A child working in mica mines in Madagascar. Credit: TdH NL
As a response, Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH NL)
launches #TheClockisTicking, a global campaign calling on immediate action in
the fight against child labour. Starting on World Day Against Child Labour on
12 June 2022.
The campaign aims to spread awareness about child labour through
a manifest for world leaders to take action and encourage companies to join the
Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI).
The SDGs were formed in 2015 and were aimed to be reached
by 2030. However, the collective agreement among 193 member states of the
United Nations was to end child labour by 2025, five years before the other
goals.
“The number of Malagassy companies that export mica has
grown severely. But they keep the kilo price for the mica very low. That’s why
the mica labourers only get around 5 cent USD per kilo”, said Maggie de Jong,
Project Leader of the TdH NL mica team in Madagascar and India.
Through the #TheClockisTicking campaign, TdH NL is
calling on the public to sign a petition for world leaders to take immediate
action.
The child rights organisation also calls on the public to support
companies that focus on a fair, responsible and sustainable supply chain,
specifically the mica supply chain which involves hazardous work from children
in dangerous conditions.
Terre des Hommes Netherlands is an international child
rights organisation that focuses on sexual exploitation of children.
The worst
forms of child labour, child trafficking and migration, sexual and reproductive
health and rights and child protection in humanitarian crises.
For each of
these forms of child exploitation, the organisation is developing and
implementing projects and programmes through local partners in East Africa and
the Asia region.
