杏MAP导航

By Linda Bordoni

杏MAP导航 Francis is calling on international and national authorities to defend vulnerable children, many of whom are enslaved in child labour and deprived of 鈥渁 dignified and harmonious development.鈥�

The message was signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 behalf. It is addressed to the Director of the UN鈥檚 Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization, where a Global Solutions Forum entitled 鈥淎cting Together to End Child Labour in Agriculture鈥� is taking place on 2 and 3 November.

Decrying recent estimates that point to an increase in child labour, the 杏MAP导航 described the phenomenon as 鈥渁 scourge that cruelly wounds the dignified existence and harmonious development of the youngest, considerably limiting their opportunities for the future.鈥�

Impact of the pandemic

Noting that the exploitation of children for work 鈥渞educes and damages their lives to meet the productive and lucrative needs of adults,鈥� he said this drama has been exacerbated by the pandemic, which has pushed an increasing number of minors to drop out of school and fall into the 鈥渢he clutches of this form of slavery.鈥�

For many children, he continued, not going to school means not only missing out on opportunities that will enable them to face the challenges of adulthood, but also deprives them of their right to health, while many of them fall ill 鈥渂ecause of the deplorable conditions in which they have to carry out the tasks that are vilely demanded of them.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 also focused on the agricultural sector, where he said, the emergency is, even more, alarming with 鈥渢housands of boys and girls forced to work tirelessly, in exhausting, precarious and demeaning conditions, suffering mistreatment, abuse and discrimination.鈥�

The situation, he added, reaches the height of desolation when the parents themselves are forced to send their children to work, in order to support their families.

Humanity鈥檚 best investment

鈥淟et a powerful cry rise from this meeting, demanding that the competent international and national authorities defend the serenity and happiness of children!鈥� the 杏MAP导航 appealed.

He said that the best investment humanity can make is the protection of children. Protecting children, he continued, means respecting the different phases of their development and growth and allowing them to benefit from appropriate conditions in which to blossom.

He said that in order to protect children decisive action must be taken to help the families of small farmers so they are not forced to send their children to work to increase incomes that are otherwise so low they are unable to support their families.

A logic of care

Finally, the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥減rotecting children means acting in such a way as to open up horizons for them as free, honest and caring citizens.鈥�

He expressed his wish for an appropriate and effective juridical system in order to defend and protect children from what he called 鈥渢his harmful technocratic mentality that has taken over the present.鈥�

Joint international commitment

Thus he called for an increase in the number of individuals and associations at every level working to ensure that the desire for 鈥渆xcessive profit that condemns children and young people to the brutal yoke of labour exploitation, may give way to a logic of care.鈥�

In this sense, 杏MAP导航 Francis explained, it is necessary to continue to denounce, educate and raise awareness so that compulsive consumerism that has no qualms about enslaving children is overcome, and we end up forgetting that the planet鈥檚 resources must be preserved for future generations.

He concluded by asking for a joint commitment during the current International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, to ensure that children are able to pursue and cultivate their dreams, to play and to learn: 鈥淭hus the path to a bright future for the human family will be opened.鈥�