DUSHANBE, June 10, 2009, Asia-Plus — Like many other countries around the world, Tajikistan will mark the annual World Day Against Child Labor on June 12.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Ms. Muhayo Khosabekova, coordinator of the ILO’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) in Tajikistan, said that the national campaign to mark the World Day Against Child Labor would be held in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (Gorno Badakhshan or GBAO).
“The Association of Farms of Gorno Badakhshan plans to gather some 500 children from remote areas of the region for educational events. The campaign in Khorog provides for organization of performances and drawing contests on the subject of “Give Girls a Chance: End Child Labor,” said Khosabekova, “Besides, roundtable meeting to discuss the child labor situation will be held in Khorog.”
The TV and Radio Company Vatan will support the initiative in Dushanbe. Vatan will organize a 16-year radio marathon dedicated to the child labor problems in Tajikistan.
According to Ms. Khosabekova, the highest rate of child labor (children aged 5 to 14) in the country has been reported in Gorno Badakhshan – 28 percent. In Khatlon province, the child labor rate is 15 percent, Sughd province – 12 percent, district subordinate to the center (RRPs) – 8 percent, and Dushanbe – 4 percent.
The ILO’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) was created in 1992 with the overall goal of the progressive elimination of child labor, which was to be achieved through strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labor. IPEC currently has operations in 88 countries, with an annual expenditure on technical cooperation projects. It is the largest program of its kind globally and the biggest single operational program of the International Labor Organization (lLO). The number and range of IPEC’s partners have expanded over the years and now include employers’ and workers’ organizations, other international and government agencies, private businesses, community-based organizations, NGOs, the media, parliamentarians, the judiciary, universities, religious groups and, of course, children and their families.
The annual World Day Against Child Labor will be marked by events in scores of countries around the world amid growing concerns over the impact of the economic crisis on child labor, and in particular girls. For the World Day, the ILO will release a new report entitled “Give Girls a Chance: Tackling Child Labor, a Key to the Future,” highlighting the exploitation of girls in child labor and warning that the crisis could force more girls out of education and into child labor.
