Joint Arab statement calls for protection of Gaza's children, highlights importance of 2nd World Summit for Social Development in Qatar
CAIRO: The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, the Arab Labor Organization, and the Arab Council for Childhood and Development have jointly affirmed that the children of Gaza are enduring one of the gravest humanitarian tragedies, with their fundamental right to life being flagrantly violated.
They stressed that the ongoing situation in Gaza places the international community before an urgent moral and legal responsibility to protect Palestinian children and safeguard their rights to health, education, and a safe and dignified life.
In a joint statement issued on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour, observed annually on June 12, the organizations revealed that recent statistics indicate the martyrdom of nearly 18,000 children in Gaza, while thousands of others have been deprived of the most basic necessities of life.
The statement emphasized that the forthcoming Second World Summit for Social Development, scheduled to take place in Qatar this November, represents a pivotal opportunity to address mechanisms for promoting decent work and combating poverty, the primary driver of child labour. The summit's outcomes are expected to contribute to the deliberations of the Sixth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, to be held in Morocco in 2026, thereby strengthening the synergy between national, regional, and international efforts.
The statement urgently called on all relevant stakeholders to act swiftly to protect children from all forms of exploitation and to uphold their rights as enshrined in international charters and agreements. It particularly underscored the plight of working children, who have been stripped of their childhood and innocence, subjected to harm both physically and psychologically, and denied their basic rights to education, development, and a life of dignity, humanity, and justice.
The statement further called for intensified Arab and international attention and reiterated the need to reinforce regional and global commitments to eliminating all forms of child labour. It also pointed out that this year's observance of the World Day Against Child Labour comes while the global goal of eradicating child labour in all its forms by 2025 remains far from reach.
It noted that the latest global estimates, issued in 2021, revealed that approximately 160 million children are engaged in child labour worldwide, 63 million girls and 97 million boys. This alarming figure is attributed to a succession of global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, ongoing conflicts and wars, rapid technological advancement, and widening social and economic disparities.
The joint statement affirmed the unwavering commitment of the participating organizations to continue collaborative efforts to combat child labour and to support international movements and UN-led initiatives in this regard.
It is worth noting that the International Labour Organization (ILO) designated June 12 as the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002, aiming to raise global awareness about the prevalence of child labour and to mobilize efforts towards its eradication.
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