Poverty Drives Child Labour
In a message sent to Guy Ryder, director-general of the International Labor Organization (ILO), on the occasion of the fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor held May 15-20 in Durban, South Africa, Pope Francis said poverty and inequality, which are major factors in child labor exploitation, must be addressed.
“While significant progress has been made in eliminating the scourge of child labor from society, this tragedy has been worsened by the impact of the global health crisis and the spread of extreme poverty in many parts of our world where the lack of decent work opportunities for adults and adolescents, migration and humanitarian emergencies condemn millions of young girls and boys to a life of economic and cultural impoverishment,” he wrote.
Pope Francis said he hoped the conference would result in a greater commitment on the part of leaders and organizations in working to protect the dignity and rights of all children, especialy their right to an education.
