There are more than 150 million child laborers in the world. Out of these, half are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, such as slavery, trafficking or recruitment for armed conflict.
The pope remembered this problem in a tweet. He says adults have no right to rob children of the ability to dream.
Pope Francis has denounced on numerous occasions this worldwide drama that affects children on all continents.
POPE FRANCIS
“Millions of children, listen closely, dozens of millions of children are forced to work in degrading conditions, exposed to forms of slavery and exploitation, to abuse, mistreatment and discrimination.”
Unicef warns children forced to work cannot do what they should. They can neither go to school, nor play or interact with other children.
This is the case of Abdulaziz, a 13-year-old refugee who has had to leave his country three times. He is now forced to work in a factory in Homs, central Syria, so he can support his family.
Although the current data is shocking, the number of child laborers has declined over the years.
In 2000 there were 250 million children working. Today there are 150 million.
