Let children be children today, so that they will become vanguards of education in the future…
It’s not child labor, it’s Child Rights!
Ina world where the concept of child labor is becoming increasingly visible, the prevalence of this issue in our lives is closely related to various conditions. Conflict and crises, global economic turmoil, education levels parallel to the economy, and inadequate legal protection due to socio-cultural activities all contribute to continuing to entrap disadvantaged children in child labor in today’s world.
Particularly in third-world countries, where child labor has recently surged with alarming speed, it has become one of the prioritized issues of the European Union due to its global nature. The European Union, conducting detailed studies on child labor, has launched active projects in third-world countries, where the problem is more prevalent, aiming to “prevent children from working in jobs unsuitable for their age and harming their education, health, and physical and mental development.” This definition, based on international labor standards and child rights principles, also describes child labor within the EU’s terminology.
The European Union has taken a significant role in addressing child labor, a global issue, with detailed studies carried out from past to present. Under the Sustainable Development Goals, the EU aims to end all forms of child labor by 2025. Acknowledging the low likelihood of achieving this goal, the EU has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy towards child labor and its cooperation with global trade partners. The EU’s effective strategies for the countries most affected by child labor focus on addressing the root causes and prioritizing support for these countries. By creating awareness and instilling a new consciousness, the EU has undertaken the following efforts in the context of child labor:
Strong Children, Strong Futures: Preventing Child Labor in Seasonal Agriculture
The project “Preventing Child Labor in Seasonal Agriculture,” which ran from October 1, 2020, to January 31, 2024, for a total of 40 months, aimed to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in seasonal agriculture and provide services to children and families at risk by strengthening national and local capacities. The project operated in cities such as Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Adana, Mersin, Hatay, İzmir, Manisa, Ankara, Eskişehir, Konya, Malatya, Ordu, Bursa, and Düzce.
The Right of the Child Within: Supporting Child Rights in Türkiye
The project “Supporting Child Rights in Türkiye,” which ran from November 2021 to November 2024 for a total of 36 months, aimed to improve the standards of social services provided to children and effectively combat child labor. Special policies were developed for disabled, migrant, and refugee children, and the project aimed to support the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in implementing holistic rights-based policies for the benefit of children in Türkiye.
Child Labor as a Universal Issue: The Clear Cotton Project
The Clear Cotton project, implemented in Burkina Faso, Mali, Pakistan, and Peru, aimed to eliminate child labor and forced labor in the cotton, textile, and garment value chains. Co-financed by the EU and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the project ran from March 2018 to February 2023. The Clear Cotton project aimed to contribute to the elimination of child labor and forced labor in the cotton, textile, and garment value chains in target producing countries. It focused on promoting improved national legislation and policies to address the basic needs and rights of children at risk of child labor or victims of forced labor.
In addition to these projects, various initiatives such as the National Program to Combat Child Labor, UNICEF and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security Cooperation, the European Union Child Rights Strategy, and the Ending Child Labor in the Sahel Project in Mali and Senegal to encourage education and social integration to combat child labor, continue to be implemented both in Türkiye and globally.
As in all fields, one of the most crucial dynamics in projects addressing child labor is effective communication. Achieving the goals of projects is significantly facilitated by digital and traditional solution-focused communication techniques tailored to the target audience. Therefore, it is as important to publicize the implementation of these projects to the public and the world as it is to put them into action. Strategic communication campaigns prepared by experts in the field to increase awareness about child labor are among the reasons these projects are so effective. Examples of such campaigns include:
The European Union conducts various awareness campaigns and projects to combat child labor. Notable campaigns include “Child Labour: Let’s End It Together,” which focuses on highlighting the devastating effects of child labor and mobilizing all segments of society through social media posts, informative videos, and school visits. Another campaign, “Brighter Futures,” organized educational programs and community workshops to prevent child labor. The “Education for All” project emphasized the importance of education and promoted the significance of an equitable life and a proper education system for all children through messages and scholarship programs. Lastly, the “Safe Childhoods” campaign included seminars for parents and employers and promoted legal regulations.
By collaborating with local NGOs, the EU has contributed to children’s education and raised awareness among families, taking significant steps in addressing the root causes of child labor and instilling a more just and hopeful consciousness on this global issue.
Undoubtedly, the group that should have the highest awareness on this issue is the new generation, to whom we entrust the future. Future communication experts, who will wield the most effective weapon of visibility and awareness efforts—communication—should recognize this issue and work on similar problems from today.
Child labor is one of the most unjust outcomes of the socio-economic factors of today’s world. From an ethical perspective, the world must unanimously agree that no child should be classified as privileged or disadvantaged, and this disparity between developed and third-world countries must be eradicated through the unified efforts of globally competent institutions without any distinction of religion, language, race, or other identities.
