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Germany: young people and educators stand against child labour

published 29 November 2019 updated 4 December 2019

Young people and educators join Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi to call on politicians to end to child labour.

Every child has a right to education

Over two hundred students and educators marched together with Indian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi to the Reichstag in Berlin on 27 November to protest against the worldwide exploitation of children. With slogans such as "No jeans from children's hands, end child labour now" and "For every child in every nation: freedom, safety, education" they drew attention to their demands in the centre of the German capital. "We are here to tell the whole world that every child has a right to education," Satyarthi declared. "There is no excuse for child labour. Child labour is a crime".

GEW supports 100 Million Campaign

Satyarthi initiated the 100 Million Campaign in order to free millions of children worldwide from poverty and exploitation and to give them a future with freedom, security and quality education. Marlis Tepe, the head of Education International affiliate GEW, joined the march and called for companies to be bound by law to exclude child labour from their supply chains.

Students from several schools travelled to Berlin to meet Kailash Satyarthi and take part in the march. Arriving at the German Reichstag, they were received by members of the Bundestag from CDU/CSU, SPD, FDP, LINKE and GRÜNE, to whom they underlined their demand for legal regulations for companies to completely eliminate any use of child labour.