Happy World Day Against Child Labor

Published June 12, 2009 @ 01:00PM PT

Today is the 2009 World Day Against Child Labor, and this year the theme is "Give Girls a Chance". About 100 million girls are involved in child labor throughout the world. They endure additional hardships and face extra risks than boys do, especially sexual exploitation. Girls are more frequently exposed to some of the worst forms of child labor in hidden work situations such as prostitution and domestic servitude.

On this World Day Against Child Labor, the International Labor Organization (ILO) is calling for:

Policy responses to address the causes of child labor, paying particular attention to the situation of girls.

Urgent action to tackle the worst forms of child labor.

Greater attention to the education and skills training needs of adolescent girls - a key action point in tackling child labor and providing a pathway for girls to gain Decent Work as adults.

Since I'm a pretty big fan of celebrating holidays, here are a few suggestions for ways to celebrate World Day Against Child Labor:

Treat yourself to some delicious fair trade, slave free chocolate and give the many children enslaved in cocoa fields around the world a break.

Make a donation to UNICEF or another organization that help prevent child labor.

Invest in the education a girl in your life, whether that's taking you niece to a museum or reading to your neighbors kids.

Redecorate with a Rugmark rug.

Wish your friends, family, and coworkers a happy World Day Against Child Labor, and be prepared to talk about the issue.

Image from idncngo.org

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Author

Amanda has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. During that time, she has created reports, documentaries and training materials on human trafficking in the United States and around the world.