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Millions of children are in slavery. Girls as young as six work
as maids in the Philippines, children break rocks in Ghana's quarries,
young boys are abducted from their homes in South Asia and forced
to be camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates and girls are forced
into prostitution in the United Kingdom.
The United Nations General Assembly is holding a Special Session
on Children from 8 to 10 May. Heads of government, senior officials,
as well as representatives from non-governmental organisations will
decide what steps need to be taken in order to improve children's
lives and assess progress made since the 1990 World Summit for Children.
Despite commitments made ten years ago, child slavery is growing.
One area of particular concern is trafficking.
"Hundreds of thousands of children are being enslaved through
trafficking. Governments need to make combating this abuse a priority
and ensure that the best interests of the children are at the centre
of any anti-trafficking policy if the fight against trafficking
is to be effective," Mary Cunneen Director of Anti-Slavery
International says.
Governments around the world need to demonstrate political will
in protecting children. International law developed to protect children,
such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which
the United States and Somalia have yet to ratify, and the International
Labour Organization's Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
No. 182 need to be ratified and universally enforced. The key
forces that lie at the root of this exploitation also need to be
addressed, such as poverty, if children are going to be safe from
slavery and work that is harmful to their health and well-being.
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