World Day Against Child Labour, 12 June 2013: “Step up to the plate! Say NO to child labour in agriculture”
On a daily basis, children labourers in agriculture are exposed to hazards such as pesticides, rough seas and animal diseases.
Not all children’s work is considered child labour, but that still leaves over 129 million boys and girls who are child labourers in farming, fisheries, aquaculture, livestock and forestry. Often invisible, many of them work under hazardous conditions in risky and strenuous labour.
Child labour can also seriously impact education, in terms of enrollment, attendance and performance.
In order to ensure a brighter future for these children and their communities, FAO and the ILO have organized a joint event at FAO HQ to raise awareness among agriculture and labour stakeholders, and call for child labour concerns to be considered in programmes and policies of agriculture organizations.