'Urgent need to scale-up efforts to eliminate trafficking, child labour'

There is an immediate need to scale up efforts to eliminate modern slavery, trafficking and child labour, Nobel laureates and world leaders proclaimed at a summit titled Laureates and Leaders for Children in Jordan.

Launched in 2016 by Indian Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, the summit aims to lay the foundation for a more forward-thinking leadership to protect the future of children.

The second edition of the summit was held in Amman in March 26-27. At the end of the summit, the participants adopted a declaration to collectively work to end modern slavery.

Panama President Juan Carlos Varela, King of Jordan Abdullah II, Jordan Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Princess Rym and Satyarthi, Nobel Peace laureate Leymah Gbowee participated in the summit.

"As Nobel Laureates and world leaders, this is our individual and collective will for a just, compassionate and child friendly world, where every child can be free, safe, healthy, educated and empowered. This is our moral imperative," the declaration said, according to an official release.

The leaders sought "ambitious and measurable" time-bound commitments from governments, international organisations, civil society and the private sector to prioritise children on the move, especially refugees, and ensure their education, protection, nutrition, physical and mental health.

"We stress upon nations to step up peace building and financing efforts with a reduction of global military expenditure by 10 per cent a year to start with in order to fund the education, health, nutrition and all other child-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)," the release said.

The declaration also sought increased funding, coordination and accountability for agencies and programmes focused on people on the move, human trafficking, slavery and labour to realise innovative approaches and solutions.

"We ask for a legally-binding global convention against online child sexual abuse, backed by a new Global Task Force against child pornography, child sexual abuse and child trafficking to provide victims with holistic support," it said.

Satyarthi, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, called upon the youth, the civil society, governments and inter-government agencies, corporates, media and faith institutions to join hands for safeguarding the future of children.

"I particularly urge the faith leaders of this region to be bold, courageous and speak out loud against the violence against children," he said.