Around the world 535 million children are living in
countries affected by conflicts and disasters. One out of every four children is
a victim of conflicts and displacement crises in countries already struggling
with poverty, malnutrition, armed conflict and the impacts of natural
disasters. Lake Chad Basin, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen
are some of the regions with the worst humanitarian crises threatening the
lives and futures of more children today than perhaps any other time in
history. Millions of these children are vulnerable, living in poverty, deprived
of adequate nutrition, out of school and at risk of exploitation. The
International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that majority of the 168
million children in child labour live in areas affected by conflict and
disaster. The ILO has therefore decided to dedicate the 2017 World Day
Against Child Labour on 12th of June on the ‘impact of conflicts and disasters
on child labour globally’.
Conflicts and disasters around the world are not just a
threat to the children but also their societies, potentially reversing hard-won
development gains. Failure to meet basic needs in health, education, and other
essential services undermines the ability of communities to prevent, manage,
and recover from a disaster. Ironically, the countries with the lowest income
often pay the heaviest price. On average, conflicts in low-income countries
last about 12 years and displacement due to conflict or protracted crises lasts
an average of 17 years (The Overseas Development Institute) which makes the
challenge of breaking the cycle of poverty, child labour and lack of education
more complex.
As the economic circumstances of families in the developing
countries, especially in the conflict areas become more desperate, the
conditions in which children find themselves become worse. Millions of children
trapped in the disruption or humanitarian crisis are losing valuable,
unrecoverable learning time and a decent childhood with their school years
simply slipping by with no chance to learn to read and write but instead toil
day and night to support their families. One of the examples is Sudan. The country
for a very long time has been in turmoil, and one of the poorest countries in
the world. Most of the fledgling nations like Sudan, are in the grip of a
humanitarian crisis fuelled by years of chronic underdevelopment, conflict and
natural disasters. Only one-third of the population has never attended school in the country, the rest
are internally displaced persons - of whom more than half are
children younger than 18. Right now, in countries such as South Sudan,
Syria, Yemen and many more, schools and hospitals are under attack. For
example, in Syria to date, an estimated 5,000 schools have been fully destroyed
and close to a thousand more have been damaged since the beginning of the
conflict. Over 60 per cent of refugee children from Syria do not have access to
primary education. In Yemen, over 500 schools have already been damaged or
destroyed during aerial bombardments or ground offensives.
Children at the risk of being out of school are also the most
vulnerable to working in hazardous conditions such as in global supply chains,
domestic labour, armed conflict, sexual exploitation, and illicit activities
like organised begging and child trafficking. Warfare and conflict has taken
away from millions of children their homes, families, friends and education.
The total number of children between the age of 6-15 years who are out of
school, as estimated by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is more than
25 million across 22 conflict and warfare ridden countries. The limited access
these children have to quality education is part of the problem; moreover,
children who work are more likely to drop out of education. The circumstances
and its impacts get exacerbated further when such exploitation concerns in
emergencies does not fit neat definitions of human rights violations, such as
trafficked or sexually exploited children. This adds to the creation of many
obstacles in the enforcement of national laws and policies to protect children,
in particular refugee children from child labour, recruitment and other
protection concerns.
The immediate support that feeds into a broader, longer-term
vision to address these concerns is to ensure decent livelihood for the youth
and the communities and most importantly education for all children,
particularly the victims of trafficking, worst forms of child labour, slavery
and the ones hardest to reach. Ensuring education and protection services in
emergencies not only builds a child’s sense of safety and normalcy but also
gives children the tools to rebuild their lives and communities. Yet, education
is among the least financed sectors in humanitarian response. In 2014,
education received only 2 per cent of the humanitarian aid as many global
appeals do not cover all those in need. What is needed most now is for donor
countries to honour with sense of urgency and responsibility the globally
agreed target of allocating at least 4% of humanitarian aid to education.
Addressing the impacts of conflict and disaster on children,
in particular - worst forms of child labour and out of school children is also
a key challenge in building peaceful and strong societies envisioned by the new
set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the most crucial targets
under SDGs is Target 8.7 which reasserts for ‘effective measures to end forced
labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour in all its forms,
including the worst forms of child labour’, as well as the SDG Goal 4, on
ensuring quality, inclusive and equitable education. The achievement of these
goals and targets is imperative more than ever to make a real difference in the
lives of millions of such children and young people affected by warfare and
conflict who constitute a large proportion of the world’s out-of school
population. These goals reminds us of every child’s right to quality education
and that “there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace
without sustainable development”.
Recognising how we respond in emergencies lays the
foundation for future growth and stability, and how we invest in development
helps build resilience against future emergencies. In the wake of humanitarian
crisis, increased migration, displacement and trafficking has blurred the
significance of national boundaries which calls for the reinforcement of
collective and sustainable action. However, this vision will require a radical
new approach to address child labour and education failures in emergency
situations. Governments, businesses, philanthropies and development
organisations must come together, not just to lend financial support but also
to provide needed intellect and inspiration to a challenge that can rightly be
called this century’s civil rights struggle to protect every child. As the ILO
recommends, there should be set priorities, designed strategies and
implementation of activities to address and prioritise child labour
interventions as a life-saving activity in conflicts and disasters. The
understanding of present and future risks for millions of children in the
absence of intervention should also be strengthened in order to address the
issue as a long-term development challenge.
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