FIGHTING CHILD LABOUR
The IKEA Foundation
G'day guys,
Do you know much about the scourge of child labour? Most people know nothing, even less give it a thought. Well, it does exist, but how do you combat such a thing? Here is a view from the Ikea Foundation.
"Fighting the root causes of child labour
Millions of
school-age children worldwide are not in school, leaving them vulnerable to
abuse, neglect or being forced into labour. We fund programmes that promote
children’s rights, giving them access to education, healthcare and a
sustainable family income so they can create more opportunities for themselves
and their families.
UNICEF estimates that 69 million school-age children are not in school.
School offers children a safe environment with support, supervision and socialisation. Beyond regular school subjects, children also learn life skills that can help them prevent diseases and improve their health, as well as that of their family and community.
Access to quality education reduces a child’s vulnerability to abuse, exploitation and disease. Girls particularly are at greater risk of such abuse when they aren’t in school. Getting girls into schools and ensuring they stay and learn has proven to be of tremendous importance.
Through our annual
Soft
Toys for Education campaign, we also help fund UNICEF's Schools for
Africa programme and Save the Children’s educational projects in Asia and
Eastern Europe.
When it
gets dark, Ines studies under a streetlamp because there’s no electricity at
her house in a neglected part of war-torn Ivory Coast.
But just
the fact that she and her little sister go to school at all is a big deal in
this region, where girls are often still seen as little more than household
help. In a nation of dramatic need that garners minimal worldwide attention,
Save the Children , with support from the IKEA Foundation, has been able to
transform the lives of over 250,000 children by helping them enjoy quality
education in a safe environment.
“The
school wasn’t nice before—everything was broken,” Ines says. But since Save the
Children got involved, the school’s been completely rebuilt, the roof got
fixed, and there’s new furniture in the classroom. “This year,” she adds “they
built us new latrines.”
Developing better teachers
But
beyond the buildings, perhaps the biggest difference is in attitudes, as
everyone is learning—grown-ups and kids alike—that children deserve respect. “I
never heard of children’s rights before,” Ines recalls. “Now, when students misbehave
or talk in class, the teachers don’t hit us anymore.”
In an
effort that began years ago and continues today, Save the Children trains
teachers to use positive reinforcement instead of humiliating or physical
punishment. Today, a teacher’s Code of Conduct hangs on the wall of Ines’
classroom for all to see.
In
addition, Save the Children organizes parents’ groups, which help reinforce the
vital role mothers and fathers can play in their children’s education by
encouraging them —both boys and girls—to stay in school, study, and succeed.
Girls in India are empowered to create a
brighter future
It’s hard
to believe that in the 21st century, girls are still treated so unfairly: kept
out of school, forced to marry young, even served less food than their
brothers. But today, Meena Radio is broadcasting into schools, homes and
communities across India and changing attitudes—and girls' lives—while it also
brings a smile and helps people talk about tough issues too.
Meena
Radio is based on a beloved cartoon character UNICEF helped create decades ago
to change stereotypes of girls in South Asia and empower them to do more with
their lives. Now, UNICEF, with support from the IKEA Foundation, is expanding
the reach of this vital message with Meena Radio.
In just
15 minutes a day, with stories, songs and games, the show helps change the way
people think about girls, and the way girls think about themselves. Adil, a
15-year old boy who lives in Amthia Salempur says, “I always thought girls can
do anything, but after hearing Meena it’s made me even more confident that
girls and boys are equal.”
In
addition to stories about how important it is to stay in school, Meena helps
with hygiene tips, like always washing your hands with soap, and teaches that
girls deserve to be treated with respect.
Changing attitudes toward women and girls
Broadcast
in Hindi, which helps broaden its appeal, Meena Radio reaches 191 million
people in the state of Uttar Pradesh alone. Children hear it at school where
the government encourages teachers to use Meena Radio as a teaching tool.
Hearing Meena’s stories—a young girl just like them who shares their daily struggles—young
women see how their lives can be better.
Boys
learn a lot too, and have started to change their minds about picking on or
abusing girls. Meena is also helping parents see their daughters in a whole new
light. Sushma, 13, from Gasaiganj wants to be an engineer someday, and she sees
how her parents’ attitudes have changed. “They didn’t want me to go to school
before, but now they do. Girls are now expected to do a lot more with their
lives.”
Laxmi, a
12-year old girl from Kalori, agrees. “They used to worry that sending a girl
to school would cause problems. Now they see that if girls study they can
become something. I love to study, and one day, I can stand on my own two
feet.”
Teaching children in Moldova they have every
right to learn
"In
Moldova, the education system isn’t great for kids,” said Ludmila Lefter, a
project coordinator for UNICEF.
Illustrating
her understatement, she adds, “Teachers routinely yell at students and use
corporal punishment. A foreign teacher was told she had discipline problems in
her class because she didn’t have a large stick to hit students.”
Complicating
the situation is a cumbersome national curriculum and an accepted system where
teachers explain lessons only to children whose parents pay for special
attention. Those who can’t pay are berated and educationally ignored – for
them, mouthing the words in a manual is what passes for ‘learning.’
But
thanks to UNICEF, with support from the IKEA Foundation, things are changing.
"I have the right to express my opinion, to be heard," says Anna, a
15-year-old student. It’s the anniversary of the United Nations’ Convention on
the Rights of the Child declaring that all children are entitled to education,
a decent place to live, and quality health care. Putting these rights into
their own words, Anna and other children are designing a poster to be printed
and distributed to every school in Moldova. It’s part of a broad scale campaign
to let children know that they have such rights – and give them the tools to
promote and protect them.
Changing attitudes toward children
Children
see changes already. "Teachers stopped saying bad words to us. They’re
much more careful now that they know we must be respected," says
15-year-old Vicky. “I learned my rights and started telling my friends – now
they know everyone has the right to say what they think.”
This
massive UNICEF effort includes an awareness campaign to reach parents and the
entire community, as well as lesson plans that help teachers and students find
new ways to relate. Teachers are trained to support children and encourage
self-expression. Children learn to recognize rights violations and stand up for
themselves as much as possible.
Through
this multi-faceted approach, UNICEF looks to improve the quality of education
and student participation in school issues for 400,000 children across Moldova.
Solar lamps help light the way to a better
life
At 13,
Mantasha was sent to work for a wealthy family in hopes of a better life –
instead she toiled past midnight, endured beatings and was given nothing but
the family’s leftover food.
A local
teacher helped Mantasha’s parents enroll her at a Kasturba Gandhi Balika
Vidyalaya residential school. Launched by the Indian government, these schools
target rural areas where female literacy falls below the national average –
which is just 46 percent.
Mantasha
and her classmate Anamika, two of the 37,000 girls enrolled in Uttar Pradesh
alone, both hope to be doctors one day. “There’s no way I’d ever have gone to
school if I couldn’t come here,” says Anamika. “I’d never been to school
before.”
Lamps change lives
But just
a simple thing like doing homework after dark is a major hurdle. “There are
lots of problems with electricity here,” says Anamika, explaining that it’s
often out for days at a time.
But
solar-powered SUNNAN lamps, donated by the IKEA Foundation, arrived for every
girl in the school. Giggling, they unwrapped the brightly-coloured lamps and
assembled them. “I like it. When there’s no light, we go to bed right after
dinner. Now I can stay up and study.”
Designed
for rigorous living conditions, the lamps even have batteries that can endure
high temperatures and keep working.
Around
100,000 SUNNAN lamps were distributed to schools and women’s literacy groups in
this state alone.
Preparing children for a future beyond the
cotton fields
Her task
is to raise awareness of children’s rights and to promote education among both
children and adults. Nearly all Kawali children help out in the cotton fields
to some extent, but Rupali’s goal is to prevent them from becoming child labourers
and to give them more options in life. “If we don’t send our children to
school, there will be no development in the village. And those who don’t go to
school can’t go far in life.”
Already,
Rupali has been around to visit the parents of children who don’t attend school
regularly. “I’ve been able to convince most of them to let their children to go
school.”
Making school joyful
She runs
a children’s group that meets at her grandmother’s house in a room that the
children have decorated themselves. Here, Rupali introduces the children to
children’s rights and stresses the importance of education through discussions
and storytelling. “It’s all quite new to them. The children hardly ever get a
say about decisions that will affect their future. But if we teach the children
that it should be fine for them to have a say, they will be more confident to
do what they believe is right when they get older.”
Rupali
sometimes steps in as a substitute teacher in the village primary school, and
is familiar with the challenges that prevent many children from completing
school. Absenteeism is high not only because children work in the fields, but
also due to a lack of motivation. “There can be 40 children in one classroom,
and it’s mostly very strict lectures, even for the very young children. They
don’t learn to think for themselves. It should be more about joyful learning
and less about textbook learning,” says Rupali.
A child
rights committee of influential villagers has been set up to support Rupali’s
efforts, and she is optimistic that her whole community is ready for change.
“Parents don’t mean any harm to their children. They love them. They know we
live in a competitive world, and they like what I’m trying to do – preparing
children for the future.”"
Clancy's comment: What do you think? At least something is being done, and not before time. I am supportive of any plan that helps kids, young girls especially, to reach their full potential - in any village, any country any continent. Kids are our greatest resource.
I'm ...
Think about this!
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