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NI: Global Issues for Learners of English > The Issues > Child Labour > The Working Children's Charter
Working Children's Charter *
"We, the working children of the Third World, propose....."
1. We want recognition of our problems, our initiatives, proposals and our process of organization.
We want people to understand that our problems are important, and that they need solutions.
We want people to take seriously our ideas about how to help ourselves; the suggestions we make; and the way in which we are organizing ourselves.
2. We are against the boycott of products made by children.
We do not want people to stop buying things that are made by children.
3. We want respect and security for ourselves and for the work that we do.
We want people to respect us and to respect the work that we do.
We want to be safe and we want our jobs to be safe.
4. We want an education system whose methodology and content are adapted to our reality.
We want an education system where the things that we are taught and the way that we are taught are suitable for the kind of lives we really have.
5. We want professional training adapted to our reality and capabilities.
We want professional training that is suitable for the kind of lives that we have and the things that we are able to do.
6. We want access to good healthcare for working children.
We want all working children to receive good health care.
7. We want to be consulted on all decisions concerning us, at local, national or international level.
Before other people make decisions that will affect our lives, we want them to ask for our opinions.
We want this to be done when decisions are made locally, nationally, or internationally.
8. We want the root causes of our situation, primarily poverty, to be addressed and tackled.
We want people to think about the reasons why we have to work, and to try to solve those problems.
The main reason is that our families are very poor. People must try to solve the problem of poverty.
9. We want more activity in rural areas so that children do not have to migrate to the cities.
We want more opportunities for children in the countryside so that the children who live in the countryside do not have to move to the cities.
10. We are against exploitation at work but we are for work with dignity, with hours adapted so that we have time for education and leisure.
We are against work where we are treated badly.
We are in favour of work where we are respected.
We are in favour of work that gives us time for education, and time to relax and enjoy ourselves.
In addition:
In any conference we want representation on an equal basis (if there are twenty ministers present, we want twenty working children also to be present). We will have discussions with our ministers but we do not want them to represent us.
* Working children from all around the world contributed to these proposals. They were made at a conference in India in 1996. It was attended by child workers from 33 countries. Red type is for the actual text of the proposals. Black is for easier English versions of the proposals.
NI: Global Issues for Learners of English > The Issues > Child Labour > The Working Children's Charter
Last Modified: 2 May 1999