The World’s Evangelical Alliance and the Salvation Army have urged the government to “act with urgency” to end child labour after UN experts warned that 138 million people around the world remain trapped in exploitation, including 54 million in dangerous jobs.
The two faith-based organisations issued a joint statement to the UN Human Rights Council, supporting the report of Special Rapporteur Tomoya Obokata, detailing the widespread recruitment of child labour, sexual exploitation and armed conflict. They said the government must move quickly to protect children, ensure access to education and combat systemic poverty that promotes exploitation.
Tomoya Obokata, the UN Special Rapporteur on Modern Forms of Slavery, published a recent report in July for the September UN Human Rights Council session on “the worst forms of child labour.”
Obokata reported to the UN Human Rights Council that an estimated 138 million children are subject to child labour worldwide, with “54 million dangerous forms.”
“The state must strengthen its efforts to prevent child labour, particularly the worst forms,” Obokata wrote in the report. “Ensuring universal access to education and vocational training is an important first step in this regard.”
The state also needs to “provide economic, social and other support to parents and families so that they can access legitimate and favorable work conditions, maintain appropriate standard of living, thereby reducing the need for children to work.
“It is equally important to make the public sensitive by applying a holistic, community-based approach to addressing social or cultural norms that may promote or tolerate child labour in several contexts,” he added.
In response, on behalf of both the WEA and the Salvation Army, WEA’s UN Communications and Advocacy Director Markus Hofer welcomed the report from the Special Rapporteur and fully supported the urgent call to end the worst child labour at the UN session.
“The World’s Evangelical Alliance and the Salvation Army’s International Community Justice Committee have expressed support to end the worst forms of child labour, confirming that every child must have inherent value and be protected from labor and sexual exploitation.”
“The joint statement further called on all governments and stakeholders to act with urgency and unity to make this happen for all children.”
Both organizations in the joint statement highlighted the harsh situation in sub-Saharan Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, one in four children (an estimated 86.6 million) is forced to work.
In Tanzania, for example, 4.2 million children are exposed to the worst child labour, including mining, quarrying, fishing and household chores, according to a joint statement.
“In Gaita’s gold mining area, 96% of school absenteeism are directly linked to child labour. It should be noted that children exploited for labour are often exposed to sexual exploitation.”
The church is making a major contribution in enhancing community effectiveness to stop exploitation, the statement read.
“We highlight the key role of community-based strategies that allow local networks, including churches, to prevent exploitation and mobilize families to support families in order to keep families in schools.
The non-shattering principle is a human rights-based concept that victims of human trafficking should not be prosecuted, punished or punished for illegal activities that are forced to commit as a direct result of human trafficking.
“We strongly assert the principle of non-crushing as the basis for protection,” the organization states, “its effectiveness relies on robust, child-sensitive identification systems and remedies.
“We ensure that every child has inherent value and must be protected,” the statement concluded. “We call on all governments and stakeholders to act with urgency and unity to make this happen for all children.”
The UN Special Rapporteur’s report stated that vulnerable children face widespread exploitation worldwide, including dangerous labor, recruitment into armed conflict and sexual abuse.
A significant portion of child labour involves risky work with many victims under the age of 15, in about 2 in five cases. This dangerous work can be found in a variety of sectors, such as agriculture, construction, mining, and more on all continents.
According to a special reporter, these children often endure long periods of time, severe conditions, exposure to toxic substances, and the informal economy of the southern part of the world, primarily under-labor laws.
Sexual exploitation of children is “ramping” and is increasingly being promoted by digital technology. According to Obokata, online sexual abuse, including Sexttortor and Deepfakes, is an increasing threat in 2024 with an estimated 32 million casualties.
“In an offline environment, humanitarian crises and armed conflicts increase the risk of sexual exploitation, with girls being the main targets, while boys and children of gender being victims. Despite being criminalised, these crimes are rarely reported or prosecuted.”
Recruiting children for armed conflicts in many countries also raised concerns about at least 8,600 children used in the conflict in 2023.
“Children in conflict environments are exposed to other forms of child labour, such as porters, cooking, cleaning and security.
Traditional practices have also led to the worst forms of child labour. “For example, pleading for street offerings, or working on farming or private property, may be mandatory by religious and educational facilities.”
Cultures of tolerance or acceptance at the local and national level of children, particularly those in marginalized groups, have been observed in various parts of the world, Obokata writes.
“This underscores the need to raise awareness among the general public to change the way we think. The process involves the active participation of local and religious leaders, educational institutions, public service providers, civil society, business and workers’ organizations, and children and their families.”
Obokata also said the root cause of the worst forms of child labour “must be addressed more closely.”
He listed these causes as including poverty, inadequate access to free education, lack of access to legitimate and favorable work and social protection conditions, social protection, social and gender inequality, cross-forms of discrimination, informal work, conflict, natural or climate disasters, and displacement.
According to Obokata, global demand for cheap labor and sexual services must also be addressed.
“On a micro level, family issues such as domestic violence, neglect, substance abuse, and divorce can increase vulnerability to child labor, sexual and criminal exploitation. Therefore, stronger action is needed in these areas.”
