Odisha CM Reaffirms Commitment to End All Forms of Child Labour

Bhubaneswar: Stating the children are the future and foundation stone of the nation, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today reaffirmed his commitment to end all forms of child labour in the State.

Taking to Twitter on the occasion of ‘World Day Against Child Labour’, the Odisha CM has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to create a conducive climate for the children to shine and prosper.

“Children are our future and foundation stone for the nation. On World Day Against Child Labour, reaffirm commitment to end all forms of Child Labour in Odisha and create a conducive climate for them to shine and prosper”, the CM tweeted.

Children are our future and foundation stone for the nation. On #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour, reaffirm commitment to end all forms of #ChildLabour in #Odisha and create a conducive climate for them to shine and prosper. pic.twitter.com/FNvNe3fBq5

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) June 12, 2020

The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched World Day Against Child Labour in 2002, after which it is annually celebrated to raise awareness about the plight of child labourers worldwide.

The World Day Against Child Labour 2020 focuses on the impact of crisis on child labour. The COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market shock are having a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, children are often the first to suffer. The crisis can push millions of vulnerable children into child labour, the IOL said.

Already, there are an estimated 152 million children in child labour, 72 million of which are in hazardous work. These children are now at even greater risk of facing circumstances that are even more difficult and working longer hours, according to the IOL.