Child Labour: No Quick End to Children Trapped in Tobacco Production

Children working on tobacco farms in Chipangali District in Eastern Province of Zambia. Credit: Brenda Chitindi          “Most major tobacco producing countries use child labour in tobacco growing. Almost no cigarette can be          guaranteed to be free from child labour.”                                         British Medical Journal, 2015. By Judith Mackay and Leonce Dieudonne LeonceHONG KONG / LOME, May 17 2022 (IPS) Despite World Day Against Child Labour launched in 2002 by the International Labour Organization (ILO), little has changed over the past two decades for the millions of children who remain trapped. To rescue children and achieve sustainable human and health rights improvements, laws that make corporations accountable and change power relations between workers and companies are needed, rather than voluntary industry codes and corporate charity. The global tobacco industry, valued at 850B USD (2021) with the 6 largest companies earning 55 B USD in profit (2015), is profiting off the backs of an estimated 1.3 million children involved in tobacco production worldwide. For many farming households in low-income countries, growing tobacco offers only a precarious livelihood, o...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Child Labour Development & Aid Featured Global Headlines Health Inequity IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news