When Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi handed over a petition against child slavery to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, he did so with the support of half-a-million signatures and the backing of Education International.
As the world accounts more slaves today than at any other point in human history, child slavery is at an all-time high with 26 percent of slaves under the age of 18, some being as young as five. Forced to work for up to 18 hours a day, these children are sold at prices less than cattle.
The petition to end child slavery has received the indorsement of over half-a-million signatures and the support from organisations like Education International (EI), the International Trade Union Confederation, and the Global March against Child Labour. It highlights the gravity of child slavery and gives the issue prominent attention as a development challenge in the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
Since 2005, the estimates show that child slavery has stubbornly remained at the level of around 5.5 million children, suggesting that approaches used to eliminate child labour have been insufficient in reducing the numbers. To reverse this reality, the petition demands “immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour including recruitment and use of child soldiers and child slavery, and, by 2025, end child labour in all its forms”
To sign the petition, please click here