The Progress of Nations 2000

TH IsC E OF NATON

act ion to pI)rtecl chld11reii fromi
aliusive lalholl rrl to lilox ide those
ielloVec ()i ou these hrorrors with
rehiiobilitat ion andoledulcationu.
A olozeni oiiitries have alreaolv
ratifieol this iiew lit iiaii iights inlstriiiiieiit and miianinuiiore rehiorrt
that they wvil(ho so50)if the next
few mionths. W\ithin IPEC, we
are intent on xi nili ug rap id ratficationi 01nda00111 nt- i)\-00)111 li
lasis throutgh l x wdo range of
activities- from p ri vat e lobilixlug to puhujei rallies, from oti-linie
infarmnatiotn to wall posters.
But we are commritteil to goilig
l)evornol universal ratification to
ensure that the principles of this
Convention are integrated within
nrationral legal striuctures and in)iilelielltoel in ways that give realistic ihope of rapidllv oraolicatiiig
these xxorst forms (If elildlalbour
Education, the key
ltolicatioii," said the late Jnliuis
N xerei'e, a form(1r sooult eacher
aiiol nmuch loxveohfirst lPresidlent
of the Ulniteol Ieiulblic of- Tanzania, ihs not a way of escapiilrg
the eountrvy's poxortyx. It is a way
of fighting it."
We kinow that more than 110
millioni childireni of scool age i n
the levelofing worlul are not in
scool anol that most of tihern
are lahluriiig. We also kiiow t hat,
every year that a ehild atteinds
school drainratical ly redluces the
chance that lie or she will eiiol tp
inl economic Ser'vittrl e.
Eohucatioii is every cliil's right;
northiig (anl compare or colliliete
with it, ainlwlieii it is Iof (god
n1iiialit la0 Irelvait to ci11 ii'

that the lonig-term usOotion toy

1 girl in \cp(1 / c(urns 1100(Vii 1/i l bhsIO 'eCli i..~41001t(1 6LOi()ion u/ hid/(reniinii(' '/iii/0u i ('0111/1(5 (Ire 511 sistin g on
lIi'.s i /1(111$1 ((1(1is

Wecan set a new
standard Jbr humanity
by cornsignring the
ens lavemnent of
children in these worst
forms of child labour
and exploitation to the
scrap heap of history.
child exploitation "lies in s505 -tainied econonmic growth leading
toi social progress, ill particuilai
lioxerty alleviation anol universal
edc at ior."
The link hetween edlucationl
ando Ip overtyV alleyiati on is espeoially iiniiortalit becaurse til e coiioiic ah)vss liet ween the rich aund
he poor has widened over the
past decade. Now, dlespite oniec leitt ciigiobal econlonnie

expansion, more anid mloieeo
pie are b~eingr isolated ill ever
oieeiier poverty. Tile assets oif the
worlod's three richest Ibillion aires,
for example, are more thlanitue
comlbinedi gross inatioiial prodnet of all of tihe 48 least (developedl countries and their 600
million peolple. In contrast, thle
plolorest. one fifth of the world's
poplulation sihares only 1] r (enrt
of tile world's GNP.
In the fight against chldb laliour
aind tile explloitat ion of cild1r1e1,
education must go ihaiioi in haiol
xwitih gloibal nmeasures toi hiffer
poor~ nations tlhrouglh stepis stioh
as fairer tradle, more aid, dheepier
odelit relief, better invest ment
lpolicies and mnore stahle (0)111 -in1onit y' rcs
Global moral 1implerative
A strategic comlbinlationl of sucih
measures wouldlgive all of us a rare
chance to enod the vicious ecie of
iiox-ert - anol reclaim lost liv'es.

\\o kiioiwxlere to finul th1 e loist
clii ldrell. They are in thVe tenlts
ando iiarraoks oif \frica. III the
hiroit hllsoi- Asia, thle siliiis of
1aiioiii)e andlolrKoth Amierioa. the
sxveatsiioils oif ILatiii Aiiieiot(.
Sei;g t heir facoes, even if- oItdv
foir aflee't ilig iioiiieiit, 11Oiw oaii
xxo all("oix otrselvo(s toi foirget them?
Will xvo siiiiilvxxwrito oif'f'their,
lives ando fuitumes? Or xxiiixxe go
tile finial mileto huroteo't the
r-ights ()fthlese voinugest ando
muoist xii hierai i le iihiileus of lhe
human fuiuuilvY
\Weoaii set a iioxx standoarol for hueiiiaiiit v liisigiiiiig; thle eiisiaveiiieiit oif- ciiioliren ii thlese xxorIst
foirills oif(1111oll al ioiuiiarlo I elf iloutatioin totile scrapihioaii oif histoirv.
Lot its extentilthe gins iHOx
etijoiveollixsonaux oithier oiuilolreu
to this last, mloist isoilateol group.
Leat utslie tho oinosxwhlo stanod fi tml
unitil all olliloirohi hoist Ill such
olangeroius oihsotiit v emerge inito
a rihiillter flit te. U

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