World Day Against Child Labour 2013 - fighting domestic child labour

On 12 June each year, people around the world mark World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) by joining hands to raise public and political awareness to build the campaign to end it. The theme of WDACL 2013 is child labour in domestic work. Once again, World Scouting and International Labour Organization's (ILO - of the United Nations) join forces to organise activities and events to raise awareness and mobilise action around the world. Of an estimated 15.5 million children engaged in paid or unpaid domestic work in the home of a third party or employer, 10.5 million are estimated to be in child labour either because they are below the legal minimum age for admission to employment or because their work is regarded as hazardous. These children are particularly vulnerable to abuse: their work is often hidden from the public eye, they may be isolated and they may be working far away from their family home.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) have worked together for a decade now to raise awareness of human rights and social justice, in particular about child labour. The enthusiastic participation of youth in jointly planned ILO-Scout activities has created local and global interest and developed new networks involving IPEC field offices and WOSM National Scout Organizations (NSOs).
In 2012, the two organisations signed a third Memorandum of Understanding extending our cooperation for a further five years. During that time we want to strengthen the role of young people as advocates against child labour using IPEC’s Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media (SCREAM) programme and to engage Scouts even more in activities which reach out to children in or at risk of child labour.
In a joint statement issued by Scott Teare, Secretary General of WOSM and Constance Thomas, Director of ILO/IPEC, they said: 'We would like to thank those Scouts who continue to add their voice to the worldwide movement against child labour. Now let’s work together to ensure that all 30 million Scouts, youth and adults, girls and boys, both know about child labour and are able to take an active part in the worldwide movement, engaging with socially excluded children to help prevent and remedy this continuing violation of their human rights.'
Download the full joint statement.
Reports, promotional materials on the World Day theme 'child labour in domestic work' can be downloaded here.