Education

Worldwide, 218 million children between 5 and 17 years work as child labourers and do not go to school. Without basic education they do not have a chance to break the cycle of poverty and improve their lives.

Many people in the South and North believe that child labour is necessary to provide enough income to the household. However, the vast majority of households where children work do not need the income of children to make their living. In fact, once parents can be assured that their child is doing well at school, they will often make sacrifices to ensure that the child can stay in school.
The widespread misunderstanding that children must work for their families to survive, makes child labour not only a problem rooted in the South but also in the North. It is because of this misconception that countries, organisations, the corporate sector and the public at large accept child labour as an inevitable fact of life. More than poverty, however, the cause of child labour lies in traditional beliefs, parents' ignorance, governments' indifference, a lack of quality education of the parents or lack of available educational opportunities, and the exclusion of certain social groups.

The six Alliance2015 members Concern, Hivos, Welthungerhilfe, Ibis, PIN and CESVI joined forces to inform the European public about child labour and to lobby for more political action to combat it. In 2003, three of these organisations started the first phase of the campaign Stop Child Labour - School is the best place to work. The Indian partner organisation MV Foundation has been inspiring this campaign from the start. They advocate that the only solution for child labour is school. The MV Foundation has remarkable success with its work: it has managed to move more than half a million children out of work and into school.

The campaign is now identifying more partner organisations around the world. These best examples need to catch world attention like a spreading fire. Stop Child Labour - School is the Best Place to Work aims to increase people's awareness of both the problems and the solutions. As an informed customre, oneYou can also help by keeping an eye on what you buy. As an informed consumer in Europe, one can also help by not buying products that involve child labour.

During the coming years, the Stop Child Labour campaign will continue to mobilise political support and concerted action towards achieving the needed change. Moreover, it aims to further expand and stimulate the global coalition, promote cooperation between different stakeholders and support initiatives in the field that are in line with the campaign's objectives. All people, everywhere, are accountable for eradicating all forms of child labour that prevent children from attending full-time, formal education and growing up healthy. A comprehensive strategy covering education, employment, production and trade is necessary to achieve this goal. Equally important is making sure that fundamental labour laws are implemented in all countries and making education free, accessible and compulsory for all children up to a minimum age of 15 years.

For more information on "Stop child labour - School is the best place to work", please visit the campaign website www.stopchildlabour.eu

The Stop Child Labour campaign is co-funded by the European Union