23rd edition of the World Day against Child Labor: First Lady Dominique Ouattara reaffirms her commitment to children’s welfare
The First Lady, Mrs Dominique Ouattara, sponsored the ceremony marking the official celebration of the 23rd edition of the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL), on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at the espace Latrille Events.
This 23rd WFCL Day, launched in 2002 by the International Labor Organization (ILO), was held under the theme: “Let’s respect our commitments, put an end to child labor!
The commemoration ceremony witnessed the participation of political figures, government officials, actors and partners involved in the fight against child labor, and many other personalities.
Mrs Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire and President of the National Committee to Combat Child Trafficking, Exploitation and Labor (CNS), took the opportunity to reaffirm her commitment to working for the well-being of children and the protection of their rights. “I would like to express to all children living in Côte d’Ivoire my firm determination to continue working for their well-being, as well as for their right to education and health”, Mrs Dominique Ouattara said. The First Lady reiterated that her priority remains the protection of children against all forms of violence. The wife of the Head of State is committed to fighting for children’s rights to the bitter end. “My priority remains to protect them from all forms of violence. I am committed to fighting for every child in Côte d’Ivoire, so that trafficking, exploitation and child labor are no longer obstacles to their development. I will fight this battle to the end, with the help of all our partners here today, to offer our children the opportunity of a better future”, reaffirmed the First Lady.
Earlier, Mrs Dominique Ouattara noted the encouraging outlook of statistical data on the situation of child labor in Côte d’Ivoire. Considering the comparative analysis of data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), the First Lady revealed that Côte d’Ivoire recorded a significant drop in the national prevalence rate of child labor between 2012 and 2021, from 39% to 21.6%, a drop of 18 percentage points. Furthermore, in the specific cocoa sector, according to the University of Chicago NORC study conducted in 2019, child labor was reduced by 32% between 2014 and 2019, in cocoa-producing communities that benefited from intensive remediation actions. For Mrs Dominique Ouattara, these results demonstrate that the intensive awareness-raising and remedial actions undertaken by all the players in the national ecosystem to combat child labor are having a real impact on reducing the phenomenon in Côte d’Ivoire. For this reason, she thanked all those involved in the fight against child labor, with a special mention for the Hershey company, which has just completed the construction of eight integrated schools, complete with kindergarten, canteen, borehole, solar power and full equipment, as well as school kits for the pupils. “I congratulate them and encourage all our other partners to do the same, for the greater happiness of our children”, she urged.
Child labor: downward trend in Côte d’Ivoire
Adama Kamara, Minister of Employment and Social Protection and Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Committee for the Fight against Child Trafficking, Exploitation and Labor (CIM), praised the First Lady’s commitment to the fight against child labor. For him, it is this commitment at the highest level that has enabled Côte d’Ivoire to achieve good results. The President of the CIM went on to express Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to the fight against child labor. He revealed that the outreach and awareness-raising activities of this year’s WFCW took place in the Cavally and Nawa regions, due to the large-scale migration of cash crop producers, notably cocoa, that these two regions have seen in recent years. The Minister of Employment and Social Protection went on to welcome the fact that the fight against child labor is a reality in Côte d’Ivoire. “In its policy to combat child labor, Côte d’Ivoire has opted for a humanist approach based on targeted intervention strategies and the inclusive, collaborative participation of all stakeholders,” he said. Among these measures, Adama Kamara cited the implementation of an inclusive social protection policy through the deployment of Universal Health Coverage (CMU) to provide healthcare at lower cost, and the Social Security Regime applicable to the sel-employed (RSTI) to enable them to have a replacement income on retirement.
Ms Mariana Stirbu, UNICEF Deputy Representative, praised Côte d’Ivoire’s progress in the fight against child labor. In her opinion, the country is well on the way to eradicating the phenomenon, for unlike to the rest of the world, the figures are falling significantly in Côte d’Ivoire.
Mr. Jean-Marie Kagabo, Senior Specialist in Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, representing Ms. Ndeye Coumba Diop, Country Director of the International Labor Organization (ILO), thanked the First Lady for her leadership in the fight against child labor.
Mr. Jean-Marc Yacé, Mayor of the Cocody commune, called for joint action by the various players in the fight against this phenomenon. He thanked the First Lady and the Government for the various measures to eradicate the phenomenon. The ceremony ended with a cocktail reception.
