This new SCREAM module on music is the fifteenth “core” module of the SCREAM Education Pack, designed to be used in conjunction with its other key modules on Basic Information, Image, Role-play and Drama. Music has long been part of advocacy efforts against child labour, with both children and adults reaching out to communities through concerts and songs, using music as part of street theatre and drama performances, as well as having solidarity concerts given by youth orchestras in support of the children around the world who are affected by this scourge.
Since its launch in 2002, the "Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media" (SCREAM) Programme has been used by children in more than 70 countries as a means to join the campaign to end child labour, giving a voice to those who are not yet heard. SCREAM supports child participation and youth empowerment, providing children and young people the knowledge and means to act – through the arts and the media. It supports the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes the right of children to express their views freely in all matters that affect them. It is a tool to implement a key principle of Recommendation, 1999 (No. 190) of ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - that all programmes of action against child labour should take into consideration the views of children who are directly affected. This Convention, alongside the ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), define the basic principles regarding child labour.
This new SCREAM module on music is the fifteenth “core” module of the SCREAM Education Pack, designed to be used in conjunction with its other key modules on Basic Information, Image, Role-play and Drama. Music has long been part of advocacy efforts against child labour, with both children and adults reaching out to communities through concerts and songs, using music as part of street theatre and drama performances, as well as having solidarity concerts given by youth orchestras in support of the children around the world who are affected by this scourge.
Music is an important component of culture. The "Music against Child Labour Initiative" reinforced the focus on music as a vehicle for advocacy. The Music Initiative, launched by Maestro Claudio Abbado in 2013 together with the ILO and key music partners, focuses on mobilizing the world of music in the global movement against child labour and on the potential of music education to empower all children. Since the launch of the Music Initiative, thousands of musicians of all ages, in all genres and from all regions – among them from Spain, Italy, Argentina, the United States, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Myanmar and India – have joined the campaign. Their concerts and their songs have reached audiences who may not have been involved in the fight against child labour through other campaigns. Musicians’ trade unions have rallied around the cause and are natural partners in this endeavour.
This new module was developed to strengthen music education, to develop young people’s competence and self-esteem and to empower them to raise their voices against child labour. Teachers and teachers’ trade unions, in particular, have a key role in advocating for the right of all children to education, with a particular focus on disadvantaged youth, including those in child labour. In several countries, the need to eradicate child labour has been incorporated as a topic in education curricula. The SCREAM programme is an important vehicle to promote teaching and learning and should be incorporated into teacher training programmes. Music and arts education should be accessible for every child.
Of course, music itself cannot eliminate child labour. We must address its root causes by promoting human rights, equality and social justice and combating poverty and exclusion. We must promote social protection and decent work for adults and young people, and strengthen a culture of respect for the rule of law and for social dialogue. Governments and policy-makers must ensure that laws are enforced and support the transition to formalization of the informal economy. We must ensure access to free, universal, quality, public education, leaving no child behind. We need to work together – and accelerate progress significantly – to end child labour and achieve Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.
