World Day Against Child Labour, on June 12th, is an International Labour Organisation (ILO) sanctioned holiday aimed at raising awareness and activism to prevent child labour. The ILO, a United Nations organization, launched World Day Against Child Labour in 2002.
According to the ILO hundreds of millions of girls and boys worldwide are involved in work that prevents them from receiving an adequate education, healthcare, leisure time and basic freedoms.
Worldwide children play key roles in livelihood strategies of income for labour constrained households, consequently they often are prevented from attending school.
Obolokome Village (Agago District), Uganda – Nighty Akwero, 7, must work in a cassava field today instead of going to school because her mother is home with an injured foot.
La Toma, Colombia – Margie Cecilia, 11-years old, mines for gold with family members at an open-pit mine.
Codong Village, Uganda – Agnes Alimo, 10, left, returned home from school with her one-year old brother, Regan Kidaga, because he would not stop crying during her class. Her sister Vicky Auma, 7, center, and a neighborhood boy, Ogen, 6, had to stay home from school to crush groundnuts.
Kalongo Town Council, Uganda – During sunrise Phillips Oluoch, 12, left, who had to stop attending school because his family could not afford school fees, waits with his mother for several village women as they head for work in the field. “I want to be a doctor,” stated Phillips.
Obolokome Village, Uganda – Ben Okidi, 8, right, and Alfred Olanya, 10, center, along with two other brothers watch over the family’s herd of cattle; they stated that they regularly miss school because of chores.
