ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia has set program to eliminate child labor, modern slavery and human trafficking in all its forms, disclosed His Excellency Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime-Minister of Ethiopia at a Strategic Workshop on launching Alliance 8.7.
Demeke said realizing the target of Alliance 8.7 of eliminating child labor, human trafficking and modern slavery requires cooperative effort of all stakeholders. The strategic plan could be part of AU’s Agenda 2063 which is to eliminate human trafficking child labor, and modern slavery by 2023.
He also made a call to stakeholders to actively take part in the program. The country is implementing human focused development strategy. It aimed at creating patriotic citizens who are proud of their citizenship. Thus, it is necessary to consider the life of the children, he said.
Ergoge Tesfaye (PhD), Minister of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA), on her part, said Ethiopia has participated as a Pathfinder Country of Alliance 8.7. Thus, the country is ready to work on the program of Sustainable Development Program of eradicating forced labor, modern slavery and human trafficking by 2030. It puts all resources together to achieve Target 8.7, as to her.
Ergoge stressed that the FDRE government has been making significant strides in combatting child labor and forced labor across the country. It has ratified the principal UN and ILO Conventions on the children’s right.
A National Plan of Action for Children aimed at reduction of child labor has been developed, she pointed out.
She said a lot, yet, needs to be done in order to protect children’s right. The trafficking and exploitation of Ethiopians still remains a serious problem. Thus, the government has set a strategic plan to combat the problem in a coordinated manner. The major objective of alliance 8.7 is to accelerate timelines, share knowledge, drive innovation, and leverage resources, as to her.
Jean Marie, ILO’s Specialist, said the strategic workshop is held to inform stakeholders of national priorities including national action plans to achieve target 8.7 and define roadmap for the effective implementation of the Alliance in Ethiopia.
The Specialist forwarded that estimates of 152 million children aged 5 to 7 are subject to child labor worldwide, over 40 million children are victims of modern slavery, and 42 percent of the Ethiopian children are engaged in child labor.
Thus, MoLSA and UN invite various ministerial departments, embassies, donors, social partners and civil society to participate in the program, Jean said.
The Ethiopian Herald December 21/2019
BY GETAHUN LEGESSE
