Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-05-Speech-4-154"
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"en.20010705.8.4-154"2
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"Mr President, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has so far been signed by 191 countries. The purpose of the special session of the United Nations in New York in September must be not just to get this convention ratified but to ensure that all the countries then apply it. One fundamental element is the fight against child labour. All too often children are seen as an investment to secure the survival of the family. The parents who, like their children, never received an education, are by definition the people who are living in poverty and debt.
Children who are exposed from an early age to the harshest physical demands lose not just their innocence and identity, they often lose their whole childhood. I have seen children who will not survive beyond the age of 14. According to estimates by UNICEF, 200 000 children a year are sold in order to work on plantations in west and central Africa. Two million children in the world, mainly girls, are being exploited by pimps. There is cause for hope, however. I have seen positive examples on the ground in India and Nepal. The Rugmark Foundation is helping children whose parents work in carpet factories to obtain educational qualifications. This NGO was founded jointly by German development aid organisations and carpet manufacturers.
These rugs rightly carry a quality label stating that they have not been manufactured by children. In the meantime, 10% of Indian exporters have successfully applied for a Rugmark licence. It is a first step in the right direction. It will only be successful in the long run, however, if consumers change their attitude and demand these products.
Another example which gives cause for hope comes from Brazil. A pupil's wage has been introduced for 11 million children from the poorest families. This special programme has been set up for ten years and children are being paid a total of EUR 850 million a year to go to school. Examples such as the few which I have been able to cite should set a precedent throughout the world, for the sake of the children."@en1
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