US Department of Labor announces 2024 Iqbal Masih Award winners; recipients in Egypt, Ghana lauded for contributions to end child labor

The U.S. Department of Labor Announces Recipients of the 2024 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the recipients of the 2024 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor, presented annually to recognize exceptional efforts by an individual, company, organization, or national government to end the worst forms of child labor.

Recipients

• An Egyptian civil society organization, Wadi El Nil Association
• A leading trade unionist in Ghana, Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe

The recipients of the 2024 Iqbal Masih Award are champions in the fight against child labor. Their unwavering efforts and achievements in the ongoing campaign to eliminate child labor have rescued children from the dangers of hazardous work and created economic opportunities for families to help derail the cycle of child labor in Egypt and Ghana.

Wadi El Nil Association

A pivotal force in combating child labor in Egypt’s limestone mining sector for more than two decades, Wadi El Nil Association rescues children from hazardous quarries, offering them pathways to education and skills development. The association seeks to break the connection between poverty and the cycle of child labor by providing microloans to families to help them achieve economic stability. In recent years, Wadi El Nil has extended additional support to vulnerable families and collaborated with community organizations and volunteers to reduce the impact that the pandemic had on families in need.

Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe

As Deputy General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union of the Ghana Trade Union Congress, Tagoe has played a significant role in advancing child and workers’ rights and been a powerful force in the country’s efforts to end child labor in the agricultural industry. By organizing and formalizing the agricultural economy in rural areas and working with communities to eliminate child labor, Tagoe has helped thousands of children move from child labor into school. His passionate and effective advocacy has helped to create a strong network of anti-child labor champions in Ghana and beyond.

A non-monetary award established in 2008 by Congress, the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor is presented each year by the Secretary of Labor. The award honors its namesake, a Pakistani child sold into slavery at age four to work as a carpet weaver. After escaping at age 10, Masih became an outspoken public advocate against child exploitation. Two years later in his native Pakistan, he was tragically killed. Iqbal Masih was 12 years old.

Learn More

• Learn more about the award and past recipients.
• Learn more about the department’s international work.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
   • Indicator: The article mentions that Wadi El Nil Association rescues children from hazardous quarries and offers them pathways to education and skills development.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.
   • Indicator: The article highlights the efforts of Wadi El Nil Association in combating child labor in Egypt’s limestone mining sector for more than two decades, rescuing children from hazardous quarries, and providing microloans to families to help achieve economic stability.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
   • Indicator: The article mentions that Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, a leading trade unionist in Ghana, has played a significant role in advancing child and workers’ rights and has helped thousands of children move from child labor into school.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.

Fuente: dol.gov

Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.