Against

World Day Against Child Labour
stop child labor vector poster

Child Brides, Child Trafficking and Child Slavery are at an alarming rate.

Child brides and marriages have been in the news lately. In Canada, the age of consent is 18 or 19 in most jurisdictions, but with parental or court permission, an individual as young as 16 can get married. The situation is much similar in the U.S., although a few states do have laws to allow individuals as young as 13 to get married. In those cases, court and parental consent are required. Internationally, child brides are considered a bigger problem, largely due to the fact that these young girls have no say in their fate. Girls around the world do not have the same protections that girls in North America do. The United Nations hopes to change that.

No to Child Labour; Yes to Education

One of the most basic rights for each individual is education. It’s just as important as health, food, safety and shelter. Some countries do not educate their girls or only provide education to a certain age. The International Labour Organization estimates that about 168 million children around the world work instead of going to school or playing. About 120 million of these children are aged 5–14. Many of these children work full-time in deplorable and hazardous conditions. Some have been forced into the workforce because of human trafficking or slavery.

In 1919, the ILO was born, mostly out of the need to end child labour around the world. The ILO has actually been making progress. The goal was to end child labour by 2016, but there’s still work to be done. The ILO actually recognizes the importance of social dialogue in the fight to end child labour in production and manufacturing.

Awareness in the Present

The 2016 World Day to End Child Labour is on June 12. The focus this year is to end child labour in supply chains. A supply chain is the sequence of activities that leads to distribution or the production of goods. Stereotypically, most people think of children sewing clothes, but child labourers work in many other industries, from fishing to mining.

The ILO recommends effective governance as one of the keystones against child labour. Individually, there’s even more that can be done. Here are some recommendations:

  1. Get educated. The Institute for Humane Education is one place to get started. The ILO has a number of resources as well.
  2. Buy fair trade products. There are a number of labels, Fair Trade Certified, Goodweave and Fairtrade Mark.
  3. Talk to retailers about where they are buying their products. Ask them to make sure they are using responsible suppliers and distributors. You have the right to ask about the origin of the product you’re buying. You may need to dig deep and go to the manufacturer to get information.
  4. If you are a stakeholder in a business, make sure your organization is supporting businesses that don’t use child labour.
  5. Talk about the social injustices with others who can make a difference in their own circles.

Making a Difference

Don’t think that your small business won’t make a difference by buying responsibly. In India, the tent dealers association stopped 80 child marriages in Rajasthan, India by simply asking to see the birth certificates of the brides and grooms before renting a tent for their wedding. By coming together and making a stand, these businesses are changing their country.

Join the campaign to stop child labour. On June 12, the UN and ILO have arranged a number of activities in countries around the world. Ask your government officials to start thinking about next year and what you can do in your community to make a difference for children everywhere. The little girl next door to you may not have to worry about going to work, but in many countries, there are little girls and boys who are.

A Horrible Incident in Yemen
A Horrible Incident in Yemen

A Horrible Incident in Yemen

Although the Syrian refugee crisis has been in the forefront, there are many other countries that have their own refugee situation. Some experts believe that Yemen is the next refugee crisis, as there are currently about 2.4 million people who have been displaced because of the war. The greatest percentage of these refugees are Somali. Although the government of Yemen was unified in 1990, the civil war over the last few years has increased displacement because of the weakened economy and political instability.

The Loss of Four Catholic Nuns

For 24 years, the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, Yemen, has taken care of the elderly. Religion and faith were never considered when the nuns of the convent took in the poor and disabled at the nursing home where they had between 60 to 80 residents. The charity was a branch of the one founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The nuns came from other countries, leaving behind all they knew to serve those in distress. On March 4, gunmen attacked the convent and killed four nuns. A priest from Kerala, India, disappeared during the attack. Diplomatic efforts are underway to negotiate his release, but no information is available as of this writing.

None of the residents were killed, but 12 other volunteers also died in the attack. One of the nuns who was killed was from India, while two came from Rwanda, and the fourth was from Kenya. As of this writing, no group has claimed responsibility for the slaughter. These deaths are just a small percentage of the lives that have been claimed over the past year in the Yemeni civil war.

The nuns were aware of the violent situation and given the opportunity to leave. The Bishop who spoke with the nuns believes that it wasn’t heroism that made them stay, but their commitment and dedication to their work. These nuns held the belief that the people they served were entrusted into their care. Some believe the nuns will be remembered as martyrs for their faith.

Standing Against Oppression

On March 4, the same date of the Yemen attack, The Catholic Universe published an article written by Bishop Declan Lang, the chair of the UK-based Catholic Bishops’ Conference Department of International Affairs. In it, he writes, “The persecution of atheists is a grave violation of human dignity throughout the world.” He holds that this oppression violates basic human rights and it “represents a degradation of the fundamental principle that people should be free to hold their own beliefs without fearing for their life or liberty.”

Many times throughout history, one minority group has been oppressed only to have others follow the same fate in future generations. Lang called for the Catholic Church in England and Wales to take a stand and speak out when atheists are persecuted. Although the Catholic Church has had its own PR issues throughout the years, it does deserve a great deal of credit for standing up for atheists.

In the wake of losing four dedicated nuns, the Catholic Church certainly needs solidarity to take a stand against oppression based on religious or non-religious beliefs. While Al-Qaeda had denied responsibility for the attack in Yemen, there is a great deal of unrest from Islamic extremists who stand against anyone with different beliefs. The nuns who died didn’t care about the faith of those they ministered to. They, like many others, were no threat to Islam community, but were killed. Other Catholic churches in Aden have been vandalized and sabotaged.

It may be that one person can’t change those halfway around the globe. However, you can promote peace in your corner of the world. Know what’s happening in other countries to understand how blessed you are to be safe.