AMERICA - Child labor: 152 million victims, the Church asks to address the root problem

Wednesday, 20 September 2017 street children   human rights   child labor  

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New York (Agenzia Fides) - The new research carried out jointly by the International Labor Organization (OIT in Spanish) and by the Walk Free Fundation, in collaboration with the World Organization for Migration (WOM), reveals the real scope of modern slavery in the world.
Data, published during the recent United Nations General Assembly, shows that in 2016 over 40 million people worldwide were victims of modern slavery and that 152 million children aged between 5 and 17 are engaged in work. The OIT also submitted an associated report confirming that these 152 million children are forced into child labor.
New data also show that women and girls are disproportionately affected by modern slavery: 71 percent of the total, almost 29 million. Women account for 99 percent of the victims of forced labor in the sex trade and 84 percent of forced marriages. The research reveals that among the 40 million victims of modern slavery, about 25 million were victims of forced labor and 15 million of forced marriages.
Child labor continues to be concentrated mainly in agriculture (70.9 percent). Nearly one child out of five works in the service sector (17.1 percent) while 11.9 percent works in the industry sector.
This 72nd United Nations General Assembly will celebrate the concluding session from 19 to 25 September in New York.
On September 12, Mgr. Ivan Jurkovič, Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, stated: "It is time to move from law to action" because "contemporary forms of slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labor, must be addressed at the root". "New forms of slavery must be abolished just like the abolition of slavery in the ancient world: adopting a new vision of the human being and of its dignity through laws, education and the conversion of minds".
Mgr. Ivan Jurkovič concluded his speech by saying that "we must all be aware of these dramatic situations and work to eradicate the new and atrocious forms of human slavery. It is increasingly evident that today we are faced with a global phenomenon". (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 20/09/2017)


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