EU funds for social, educational actions against child labour in Sudan

The European Union (EU) has reiterated its commitment to eradicate child labour worldwide. Ambassador, Jean-Michel Dumond, Head of Delegation of the EU to Sudan, issued a statement yesterday to mark World Day against Child Labour.

“We undertake actions to protect children, to avoid their exploitation and guarantee them a proper childhood and a resourceful future. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals and ILO Conventions, we once again reaffirm our strong commitment in restlessly carrying on all necessary actions to completely eradicate child labour,” Ambassador Dumond says.

Each year on 12th June, the World Day against Child Labour calls on governments, employers, workers organizations and civil society to highlight the global extent of child labour and the actions and efforts needed to eradicate it, the statement reads.

“The EU calls for immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of all forms of child labour by 2025”

The EU supports this appeal to ensure inclusive and equitable quality of education and to promote learning opportunities for all. The EU calls for immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of all forms of child labour by 2025.

In line with international conventions as the Minimum Age Convention and the Worst Forms of Child Labour both ratified by the Government of Sudan, the EU funds several initiatives to protect children, to stop their exploitation and guarantee them a proper childhood and a resourceful future, the delegation's statement emphasises.

Education programme

The €22 million Education Quality Improvement Programme in Sudan is funded by the EU in seven Eastern and Southern States. It supports forcibly displaced populations and host communities, improving the quality of basic education and making it accessible to all.

The EU also takes actions to protect the socio-economic situation of families, a major cause of child labour exploitation. The EU specifically supports the most vulnerable among refugees, the internally displaced, and host communities, to enhance their working conditions. The EU also funds projects on Technical Vocational Education and Training in Khartoum, Gedaref and Kassala, with an allocation of €5 million, providing specific skills required by the labour-market to increase job opportunities and ability to respond to crisis situations, the EU statement concludes.

Climate change

On June 5, on the occasion of World Environment Day, the EU announced a grant of €8.5 million, financed by the EU Global Climate Change Alliance+ (GCCA+), for projects addressing climate change in Sudan.