On International Day of the Girl, ILO celebrates the achievements, unheard stories of girls in Africa
As the world celebrates the International Day of the Girl, and the achievements made by, with and for girls since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, girls’ voices around the world have increased thanks to powerful figures such as Greta Thunberg on climate change and Malala Yousafzai on children’s rights and access to education. However, many girls’ struggles and actions remain unknown.
“At 13, as I had not studied, I started working as a maid. I was barely gaining enough to survive, even though I had to work non-stop between six in the evening and one in the morning,” recalls Akissi Delta, a well-known actress in Côte d’Ivoire.
A few years ago, the actress joined a group of Ivorian singers who sang about child labour and its consequences in the song “Mon enfant” (“My child”).
“Between the ages of 2 and 8, I lived with my grandmother and spent most of my time working in the field,”says Ms. Delta
According to the National Survey conducted in 2013 with the support of the ILO, in Côte d'Ivoire, 28.2 per cent (just under two million children) of children aged 5 to 17 years are engaged in economic activities. Most of children are engaged in agriculture (53.4 per cent of children) and services (35.6 per).
With 40% of the world cocoa production, Côte d’Ivoire is a country that had founded its economy on agriculture very early on. According to the ILO’s Global Estimate on child labour published in 2017, the vast majority (85 per cent) of child labourers in Africa is in agriculture and its various subsectors: crop production, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, and aquaculture.
In Cote d’Ivoire, the International Labour Organization had recently launched the Accelerating action for the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa), a project covering six countries in Africa and funded by the Netherlands Government. In the country, ACCEL Africa targets 500 men and women on the improvement of their income with an estimated of over 1,000 children positively impacted.
The ACCEL Africa project also supports three hundred children, boys and girls, aged 15+ to transition from school to work in Cote d’Ivoire.
“I had a cousin about my age who was brought from the village. She stayed at home while others were going to school. When I think about it, it was unfair,” says Guy Constant Neza, former journalist turned into music producer.
“Gender inequalities that take root at an early age tend to produce long-term gender inequality, which is reproduced in the world of work. This must end,” said Guy Ryder, Director General of the ILO, on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child.
The aim of the celebration of the International Day of the Girl is to promote girl’s empowerment and fulfilment of their human rights, while also highlighting the challenges that girls face around the world.
“At 13, as I had not studied, I started working as a maid. I was barely gaining enough to survive, even though I had to work non-stop between six in the evening and one in the morning,” recalls Akissi Delta, a well-known actress in Côte d’Ivoire.
A few years ago, the actress joined a group of Ivorian singers who sang about child labour and its consequences in the song “Mon enfant” (“My child”).
“Between the ages of 2 and 8, I lived with my grandmother and spent most of my time working in the field,”says Ms. Delta
According to the National Survey conducted in 2013 with the support of the ILO, in Côte d'Ivoire, 28.2 per cent (just under two million children) of children aged 5 to 17 years are engaged in economic activities. Most of children are engaged in agriculture (53.4 per cent of children) and services (35.6 per).
With 40% of the world cocoa production, Côte d’Ivoire is a country that had founded its economy on agriculture very early on. According to the ILO’s Global Estimate on child labour published in 2017, the vast majority (85 per cent) of child labourers in Africa is in agriculture and its various subsectors: crop production, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, and aquaculture.
In Cote d’Ivoire, the International Labour Organization had recently launched the Accelerating action for the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa), a project covering six countries in Africa and funded by the Netherlands Government. In the country, ACCEL Africa targets 500 men and women on the improvement of their income with an estimated of over 1,000 children positively impacted.
The ACCEL Africa project also supports three hundred children, boys and girls, aged 15+ to transition from school to work in Cote d’Ivoire.
“I had a cousin about my age who was brought from the village. She stayed at home while others were going to school. When I think about it, it was unfair,” says Guy Constant Neza, former journalist turned into music producer.
“Gender inequalities that take root at an early age tend to produce long-term gender inequality, which is reproduced in the world of work. This must end,” said Guy Ryder, Director General of the ILO, on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child.
The aim of the celebration of the International Day of the Girl is to promote girl’s empowerment and fulfilment of their human rights, while also highlighting the challenges that girls face around the world.
With persisting conditions of global economic crisis and uncertainty, there must be a firm resolve to re-commit to the goals of social progress and social justice in shaping a world where the girl child finds her rightful place – on equal terms with boys, at home and in school and well-prepared for entry, at the right time, to the world of work."
Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General