World Day Against Child Labour 2020: Children are our future, protect them
On World Day Against Child Labour, many political leaders, activists and others tweeted on the year's theme, "protect children more than ever from COVID-19". The posts called for efforts to end child labour, especially at a time the world is fighting coronavirus.
Nobel laureate and child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi said, "The yardstick of a visionary and decisive leadership is the primacy it attaches to children in its policies, programmes and economic schemes."
Mr Satyarthi urged businesses and corporations to take moral responsibility and demonstrate compassion by not employing child workers. "This World Day Against Child Labour, I urge businesses and corporations to take the moral responsibility and demonstrate compassion to stop employing child labour. I urge corporate leaders to come forward and end child labour..," tweeted the activist.
Union Minister Smriti Irani tweeted: "Children are the future of our nation. Let's dedicate today and every day to protect our children from the evils of child labour."
Her ministerial colleague Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, "Let's take a pledge to eradicate child labour from the world by reporting it."
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a government scheme for education of underage labourers called, 'Bal Shramik Vidya Yojna". The scheme will benefit over 2,000 children.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted, "Children are our future and we must make efforts to eradicate child labour." Senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje Scindia said, "Worldwide, almost one in ten of all children are in child labour and this Covid-19 pandemic is going to prove detrimental to their health and development. We must come together now more than ever to protect them and their future!"
National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma tweeted: "Say no to child labour"
Last month, 88 Nobel Laureates and world leaders had written to governments across the world to prioritize the needs of underprivileged children amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"We, the Laureates and Leaders for Children, demand that the most marginalized and vulnerable children are not forgotten by governments during this grave crisis and beyond. We must act now or risk losing an entire generation." - Kailash Satyarthi, had said in a statement.