Wednesday, July 7, 2010

EC Grant: Investing in People - Children - Fighting Child Labour

Children comprise one third of the world population and make up more than half of the population in developing countries. They form a unique constituency with particular sets of needs and rights that are recognised as a self-standing set of concerns. More than 200 million children in the world are involved in child labour, doing work that is damaging to their mental, physical and emotional development; over 120 million are engaged in worst forms of child labour.

Children work because their survival and that of their families depend on it. Child labour persists even where it has been declared illegal, and is frequently surrounded by a wall of silence, indifference, and apathy. Too many children are engaged in the worst forms of child labour, including trafficking, armed conflict, slavery, sexual exploitation and hazardous work. Girls and boys may face higher risks depending on certain forms of hazardous and/or exploitative work. The effective abolition of child labour is one of the most urgent challenges of our time.

The present call for proposals both reflects and contributes to the European Commission's (EC) commitments to fight child labour.

Contact detail: EuropeAid-ChildLabour@ec.europa.eu

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