Child labour has become a horrific phenomenon in recent years, and the issue is a source of concern to development organizations and institutions in the field of children's rights, especially after repeated complaints of violations of working children's rights in unlicensed factories and workshops.
From this angle and on the occasion of the International Day Against Child Labour, Plan International Organization - Egypt, one of the largest non-governmental development organizations concerned with the promotion and protection of children's rights in the world, took the initiative for this campaign in coordination with the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), and other NGOs to shed the light on the dangers of child labour and to motivate the civil society entities and decision makers in Egypt to take actions which protect the rights of working children.
The event is aimed at conveying the voices of these children to officials and decision makers and to the society as a whole to protect them from violations of their human rights and to help them create opportunities to live decent lives. More than 100 working and non-working boys and girls, school drop-outs participated in the event. In addition to that, some owners of workshops were present at the event, along with parents who've discussed the various burdens they encounter. The children performed artistic shows depicting the causes of child labor with the participation of the youth delegation which flew in from the Netherlands especially for the campaign. The event also included plays for children and group activities such as drawing, mural paintings, sports, Tanoura and clown shows.
Dr. Manal Shaheen, General Manager of the Helpline at the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), stated: "We are in dire need for the solidarity of institutions and organizations to diminish this phenomenon, which will destroy the future of an entire generation of children and young people who have the determination to turn their lives around. She also pointed to the issue of dropping out of education which leads to child labour and perpetuates poverty in the marginalized groups in society.
Moreover, Dr. Shaheen called on changing the culture of the community through advocacy of the support of the underprivileged groups, through explaining the importance of educating their children and highlighting the positive examples in the community of poor families that have provided educational and health care support for their children.
In spite of the issuance of the Children's Act (No. 126) for the year 2008, which prohibits child labour and which contains many provisions that ensure the protection of the rights of children, the practical application leads to the violation of the rights of more than three million working children aged between 6 and 14 years. That in turn has led to the neglect of their education, health and even psychological development. Some reports indicate a worsening of the conditions of child labor in terms of low pay and lack of leave, in addition to the failure of international organizations to ensure the rights of these children in education, health care and many other aspects of their lives.
Mr. Edward McAbbey, Country Director, Plan-Egypt, stated: "Egypt has been among the countries which are concerned with the eradication of this phenomenon for many years through complying to international treaties and conventions concerned with child rights. However, with the significant increase of the population, the number of working children has increased due to several reasons such as education-related problems, poverty, low standard of living, lack of services and facilities, domestic violence, divorce, poor nutrition, lack of awareness in the community."
He also added saying "For our part, Plan seeks to generate the appropriate awareness concerning this issue through a variety of interventions including Esma3oona- Hear Us Out, the TV program, which has won two international awards and serves as a podium from which children and young people express the many difficulties they encounter. Also, a special episode about child labour has been produced by the children themselves, stating their views on the issue and ways to counter it. In addition to as other programs related to the child's right to education, early marriage of girls, female genital mutilation and its negative effects on girls, families and society as a whole."
Dr. Jacinthe Ibrahim, Child Rights Adviser, Plan-Egypt, explained: "Egypt has ratified the 2002 International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182 for the year 1999, which aims to reduce the forms of child labour. And studies have shown that the problems of the educational system is reflected directly on those children who are now forced to work due to the low expected return of education after years of struggle. Also, some children work in order to pay for their education expenses due to the financial inability of their parents to do so, while others are forced by their families to take on the family-business from a very young age. On the other hand, any employers prefer to be recruit children due to their low wages and the ability to control them. Therefore, Plan Organization has started a program for the protection of working children in the district of Kheir Allah, west of Cairo, and to analyze the reasons which have led to the outbreak of the problem and reinforce the protection of working children in dangerous environments."
The problem of child labour and the ongoing violations against them has reached a critical point. The Convention of Child Rights in 1989 and the International Labour Conference in 1998 declared the fundamental principles and rights at work, including the elimination of the worst forms of child labour and the Copenhagen Declaration of 1995 recognized the prohibition of child labour which is one of the four categories of fundamental rights demanding respect for workers.
For his part, Dr. Mohammed Ismail, Program Director, Plan-Egypt, explained: "This campaign is one of the methodologies used to mobilize the concerned civil society organizations and government agencies to take a positive actions towards the issue of child labour, which has become a real threat to the lives and future of many children in Egypt." He also added "Plan Egypt is initiating a program against child labour that aims at their reintegration in society in a way that protects all their rights, in cooperation with several government agencies and civil organizations."
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About Plan-Egypt
Plan started operating in Egypt in 1981, under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Solidarity. Plan is currently cooperating with more than 40 non-governmental organizations across Egypt's governorates such as Cairo, 6th of October, Qalyubia, Alexandria, Assuit and Beheira. In addition to a number of organizations that belong to the civilian community, implementing different programs related to child's rights such as the right in education, health care, freedom of participation and expression, the rights of children with disabilities, the harmful practices against females and the savings that are based on the effective participation in society.
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Press Release 2009
