The Global march against child labor came about in 1998 due to the overwhelming response of the need to end child labor. Child labor is the employment of Children at regular and sustained labour It was a grass roots movement that motivated many individuals and organizations to come together and fight against child labor. For other meanings see Grass roots (disambiguation. A grassroots movement (often referenced in the context of a Political movement This not an annual march.
The main goals of this movement was to:
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This march began in January 17, 1998 under the leadership of Kailash Satyarthi [3] This event was a global conjuncture that brought non-governmental organizations (NGOs), trade unions, teachers, children and individuals together to fight against child labor. Child labor is the employment of Children at regular and sustained labour The International Labour Organization Kailash Satyarthi (born on January 11, 1954) is a human rights activist from India who's been at the forefront of the global movement to end child slavery A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming Child labor is the employment of Children at regular and sustained labour People from all over the world came together. There were people who marched only within their region and there were others who continued to Geneva, Switzerland. They were called the core marchers.
The marchers united and advanced through Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the U. S. Their final destination was Geneva, Switzerland where the International Labor Organization (ILO) meeting was taking place. The International Labour Organization At this conference, the issues of child labor and implementing new policies in order to prevent it on the global level were discussed. Child labor is the employment of Children at regular and sustained labour This march was significant at the ILO convention against the worst forms of child labor otherwise known as Convention no. 182, because:
This march was important to children in the work field since the underlying cause was to banish economic exploitation. Not only in labor fields but also through human trafficking where children are usually sold off for sexual services. Human trafficking is the recruitment transportation harbouring or receipt of people for the purposes of slavery forced labor (including bonded labor or debt bondage and servitude
Currently, there are many organizations that supported the cause of the global march. They are:
This march was important to children because it discourages them to experience economic exploitation in the labor field such as human trafficking. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> Education International (EI-IE is a Global union federation of Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working with over 3000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice ActionAid was founded in 1972 as a child sponsorship charity when 88 UK supporters World Vision, founded in the United States in 1951 is an international Christian relief and development organization whose stated goal Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> Public Services International (PSI is a Global union federation of An economy is the realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services of a country or other area Human trafficking is the recruitment transportation harbouring or receipt of people for the purposes of slavery forced labor (including bonded labor or debt bondage and servitude The policies that were introduced through this march emphasized highly on education. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency When children are educated it helps the economy since they are more likely to get out of their poverty stricken situation. Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and By limiting education, it is limiting the prosperity of the nation.
The march had 140 different countries that participated the act with thousands of partners. [12] It consisted of events, rallies, foot marches and bus caravans. [13] The first country that began the march was in Manila, Philippines on January 17, 1998. The marches took place in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the United States. Out of all of those people who participated in the march, only the select few known as the core marchers moved on to Geneva, Switzerland where the ILO were meeting for a possible revision of a new international convention on the most intolerable forms of child labor (Convention no. 182). [14]
The United States led their own nationwide march. It began in Los Angeles, California on May 2, 1998. The marchers went through all the major cities such as: Dallas, Little Rock, St Louis, Detroit and New York. The last city they visited was Washington, D. C. on May 26, 1998. From there, the core marchers went to Geneva, Switzerland. "The U. S. march has two main goals: to focus attention on domestic child labor problems, particularly those related to sweatshops and migrant agricultural work, and to encourage consumers to demand, retailers to sell and manufacturers to produce child-labor-free goods". [15]
The march was a success since the revision of a new international convention on the most intolerable forms of child labor Convention No 182 was changed the following year. The Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, known in short as the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention Through this march, Convention no. 182 became the fastest ratified law. [16] This decree became the guideline for governments internationally when creating labor laws. Currently, over 150 countries have adopted Convention no. 182 in their own nation.
Kailash Satyarthi is largely responsible for taking the initiative of organizing this march. He had a vision of eliminating child labor everywhere and allowing education to become highly accessible for children. Kailash Satyarthi was the moving force in shifting our attention to child labor as a social issue. Through his tireless efforts, he has “brought political and judiciary machinery into action, and sensitized media in favor of the most oppressed children”. [17] His work did not stop after this march instead, he moved on to other projects such as Global Campaign for Education to promote universal education.
This march initiated other events to come together to fight against child labor. The march spread the awareness of eliminating child labor in our society and worldwide. Here are some examples of events that branched off from this march:
The next country to encounter the march is Zimbabwe. The march will take place on December 1st-31st, 2007. It will start at Harare and end in Plumtree. The goal is to combat child labor and to spread education to the children of that country. Media outlets will be used to promote this event through television, newspaper and radio. One of the major organizations that are contributing to this march is the New Hope Foundation.