Rif Ahmed: World Day Against Child Labour 2020; Voices of DCI Youth Leaders

In light of recent events and action taken around the world devoted to positive and progressive change, We should take this time to focus on another issue impacting hundreds of millions of people today: child labor. If you are unaware, child labor is the plague afflicting children of all ages around the world, in which they are forced into hostile, unsanitary, and hazardous work conditions. The worst part about this is, these children have no control over their situations. They are born into poverty, and the unfortunate truth is many die in poverty.They have no choice but to work, else they are denied the small wages they may accrue from working to buy food and water for themselves and their families. As mentioned before, however, the environments that these poor children are put into are far less than desirable. This is unacceptable. This atrocious practice of child labor violates several articles of the United Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document crafted by the United Nations to outline a common standard for all people.
Specifically, Articles 23, 24, 25, and 26 are violated, which are the rights to favorable work conditions, leisure and limited working hours, an adequate standard of living, and education, respectively. While these articles are not enforced, they provide a basis for human rights; in other words they are what every human being deserves and should be granted. A future I long to see is one where all people acquire these rights and are able to prosper, improving humanity as a whole. I believe that DCIs mission is helping bring this future to fruition. With DCIs aid, children are provided with the necessary resources to survive without child labor, and are given education to boost their chances at having a bright future they can be proud of. It is critical that all of us around the world, regardless of background, are given the opportunities to thrive and receive an education for the betterment of our countries, and the world as a whole. You can help make a difference. You can provide this opportunity for these children. Rif Ahmed Youth Leader, Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI) Rif Ahmed I am Rif Ahmed and I am a rising senior in high school. I am 17 years old, and have been working with DCI as a volunteer for around 5 years, while my family has been involved with and been a part of the organization for longer. I aim to help DCI make a difference in the lives of children in dire need, and give them the opportunities to live a safe and happy life.