Catholic NGO tackles scourge of child labour

(Vatican Radio)  The International Catholic Child Bureau is an NGO that is committed to defending the rights of the child. As the international community marks the World Day against Child Labour (on June 12th) with a focus this year on education for children, the Bureau explains why access to quality education is a key step in tackling child labour. Alessandra Aula is the Bureau's Secretary General and she spoke to Susy Hodges.

Listen to the interview with Alessandra Aula of the International Catholic Child Bureau: 

Aula said she welcomes the decision by the International Labour Organisation to choose for this year’s World Day against Child Labour the motto: “No to Child Labour, Yes to Quality Education.”  She said by ensuring children receive an education, they can help to “break the cycle of poverty” which traps them as labourers. Aula spoke about one of their projects in Paraguay that aims at this precise objective. She explained that this particular project involves helping a group of children that work in a fruit market and instead of getting them into school, their local partners supply an education to these kids directly “at their place of work.”   

Figures suggests that globally some 120 million children are involved in child labour and over half of them are involved in hazardous work that is harmful to either their physical or psychological health. This can include child trafficking and enslavement of minors which according to Aula is an increasing and “very alarming” phenomenon that goes hand in hand with the large migration flows taking place in many parts of the world.