Children must have access to education. They should spend their childhood at school. In the contrary, researches indicate that over 150 million children aged between 5 and 17 are subjected to child labor worldwide. Nine percent of African children faced with dangerous work. Some are involved in worst forms of labor exploitation such as recruitment as soldiers for war.
This indicates that child labor exploitation has been a serious global problem and needs a joint effort to tackle at the grass root level. Thus, International Labor Organization (ILO) is working with world countries to alleviate the problem of child labor in all its forms.
Alliance 8.7 is a global strategic partnership to eradicate forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking. It was launched in September 2016 with the objective of eradicating slavery and human trafficking by 2030. It is part of the Sustainable Development Goal launched by the United Nations.
Ethiopia joined the alliance as a ‘Pathfinder Country’ in 2018. Since then, the government of Ethiopia has been committed to the elimination of child labor and slavery. The country has ratified the United Nation’s convention on the rights of children. It has agreed to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially children and women.
Ergoge Tesfaye (Ph.D), Minister of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA) said Ethiopia has been working to implement the convention on child and labor exploitation. The country has adopted a National Plan of Action for Children, created a National Council against human trafficking and smuggling.
Ergoge forwarded that a coordinated action involving all stakeholders is crucial to ending child suffering. Since Alliance 8.7 is global cooperation to eradicate child labor exploitation, MoLSA is working diligently to achieve the target in the stated period, she said. As a pathfinder country, Ethiopia is a pioneer and frontrunner of the Alliance. It needs to put all available resources together to end labor exploitation, she noted.
The minister added that Ethiopia shares the ambitious vision of Alliance 8.7. It strides to set an example that could inspire similar efforts across Africa and around the world. The National Council works persistently to curb the exploitation of Ethiopians and migrants from neighboring country.
She made a call to policy makers, program implementers, advocates, trade unionists, educators, community leaders, researchers, journalists and other concerned bodies to participate in realizing Target 8.7 in Ethiopia.
MoLSA has been working with trade unions in solving employment problems in the country and abroad. It has signed various treaties that could ensure workers right. It has been providing training for employees so as to produce skilled manpower. Lack of skilled manpower has been one of the major problems of the workers.
Kassahun Follo, President of Ethiopian Trade Union (ETU) told The Ethiopian Herald that eradicating problems at work place is the vision of ETU. Thus, the mission of the alliance would be part of the responsibility of ETU. Thus, the union accepts the invitation and works on the achievement of Target 8.7 consistently.
Kassahun said the union has been working to eliminate modern slavery by creating for better employment opportunity. The union has been accomplishing various tasks to workers’ safety at work place. It has been working with the MoLSA) to abolish all forms of exploitation.
As to Kassahun, creating better job opportunity is an irreplaceable solution to the problem of migration. Enacting conventions is also as necessary as formulating them. Employers and the government need to work in cooperation to create better work for job seekers in the country, he stressed.
Tadele Yimer, President of Industry Employers Association (PIEA), also added that the association has been rendering trainings to employees and employers so as to tackle the root cause of labor exploitation.
Marie Kagabo, ILO Specialist, called for a cooperative task to end violence against children. Any country or international organization can be a member of Alliance 8.7, as to him.
Fekadu Gebru, Director of Harmonious Industrial Relation Directorate, forwarded poverty as the source of all forms of child labor. Expansion of social service such as school, health center and infrastructures like road and telecommunication could be means of poverty alleviation, he suggested.
The Ethiopian Herald December28, 2019
BY GETAHUN LEGESE
