JUNE 12 — The Children’s Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal would like to reiterate the importance of education to children and emphasise that child labour denies a child’s rights to education and self-development.
Under international laws, child labour is prohibited pursuant to Convention on the Rights of a Child , and ILO instruments, mainly Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, 1973 and Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999, both which Malaysia ratified in 1997 and 2000 respectively; and the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 .
The Act has many loopholes and have a double jeopardy effect on children. Child labour is a form of child abuse and exploitation of child. During the pandemic covid19, many parents lost their job and children were not allowed to go to school. Otherwise, the government must continue to provide financial assistance to underprivileged families in order to avoid child labour. Both primary and secondary education must be made free to ensure that parents have no excuse not to send their children to school.