NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday ratified two key global agreements on eradicating child slavery, committing the country to adopting international labor standards on the employment of minors and allowing it to be subjected to scrutiny by other nations.
India’s census found there were more than four million laborers aged between five and 14 in 2011 out of 168 million globally, but activists say millions more are at risk due to poverty.
Indian Minister of Labour Bandaru Dattatreya said in statement the ratification reaffirmed the country’s “commitment to a child labor free society.”
The International Labour Organization’s Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Minimum Age Convention form the bedrock of global guidelines for countries to legislate nationally.
Ratifying the conventions — which specify a minimum age of work and prohibit using minors in areas like armed conflict, prostitution or drug trafficking — means nations must adopt the standards and have their progress reviewed every four years.
Paradigm shift
Activist said successive governments had resisted ratification due to a general denial of the existence of child labor in India.
Nobel Laureate and child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi called the ratifications a paradigm shift.
“For years, India was saying we don’t have child slavery and was hesitant to admit the worst forms of child labor exist here, but now this government has agreed that this is a problem and that is why we are ratifying the conventions,” he said.
The ratifications would mean increased government spending on children, and also provide a strong legal tool for charities seeking to strengthen policy on child labor in the country’s courts, Satyarthi added.
India has one of largest populations of children in the world, with more than 40 percent of its 1.2 billion people below the age of 18, according to its 2011 census.
An economic boom in the last two decades has lifted millions out of poverty and progress has been made in curbing child labor with the introduction of social welfare schemes and laws to protect minors and ensure education.
Nonetheless, India is home to more than 30 percent of the world’s 385 million most impoverished children, according to a 2016 World Bank and UNICEF report.
These children are easy prey for traffickers, who promise a better life but often end up selling them into forced labor or debt bondage.
More than half of India’s child workers are employed in agriculture and more than a quarter in manufacturing — embroidering clothes, weaving carpets or making match sticks.
Children also work in restaurants and hotels and as domestic workers. Many girls are sold to brothels for sexual slavery.
India commits to global pacts on eradicating child slavery
India commits to global pacts on eradicating child slavery
94 million need cataract surgery, but access lacking: WHO
- Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision
GENEVA: More than 94 million people suffer from cataracts, but half of them do not have access to the surgery needed to fix it, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Cataracts — the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness — are on the rise as populations get older, with age being the main risk factor.
“Cataract surgery — a simple, 15-minute procedure — is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight,” the WHO said.
It is one of the most frequently performed surgeries undertaken in high-income countries.
However, “half of the world’s population in need of cataract surgery don’t have access to it,” said Stuart Keel, the UN health agency’s technical lead for eye care.
The situation is worst in the WHO’s Africa region, where three in four people needing cataract surgery remain untreated.
In Kenya, at the current rate, 77 percent of people needing cataract surgery are likely to die with their cataract blindness or vision impairment, said Keel.
Across all regions, women consistently experience lower access to care than men.
Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision.
- 2030 vision -
The WHO said that over the past two decades, global cataract surgery coverage had increased by 15 percent.
In 2021, WHO member states set a target of a 30-percent increase by 2030.
However, current modelling predicts that cataract surgery coverage will rise by only about 8.4 percent this decade.
To close the gap, the WHO urged countries to integrate eye examinations into primary health care and invest in the required surgical equipment.
States should also expand the eye-care workforce, training surgeons in a standardised manner and then distributing them throughout the country, notably outside major cities.
The WHO was on Wednesday launching new guidance for countries on how to provide quality cataract surgery services.
It will also issue guidance to help support workforce development.
Keel said the main issue was capacity and financing.
“We do need money invested to get rid of this backlog, which is nearly 100 million people,” he told a press conference.
While age is the primary risk factor for cataracts, others include prolonged UV-B light exposure, tobacco use, prolonged corticosteroid use and diabetes.
Keel urged people to keep up regular eye checks as they get older, with most problems able to be either prevented or diagnosed and treated.
The cost of the new lens that goes inside the eye can be under $100.
However, out-of-pocket costs can be higher when not covered by health insurance.
“Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Devora Kestel, head of the WHO’s noncommunicable diseases and mental health department.
“When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.”
