The denunciation of Pope Francis: “Child labor leaves us stunned, it is an injury to human dignity”

Child labor “leaves us stunned and disturbed”: it is “the exploitation of children in the production processes of the globalized economy for the benefit of the profits and gains of others. It is a denial of the right of children to health, education, harmonious growth, which it also includes the possibility of playing and dreaming. This is tragic. A child who cannot dream, who cannot play, cannot grow. It is stealing from the future of children and therefore of humanity itself. It is an injury to human dignity “. This is what Pope Francis denounces who received in audience the participants in the International Conference “Eradicating child labor, building a better future” “The scourge of child labor exploitation, on which today you find yourself reflecting together, is particularly importance for the present and for the future of our humanity. The way we relate to children, the extent to which we respect their innate human dignity and their fundamental rights, express what kind of adults we are and want to be and what kind of society we want to build “, underlines the pontiff.” disturbed by the fact that in contemporary economies, whose productive activities make use of technological innovations, so much so that we speak of the “fourth industrial revolution”, the employment of children in working activities persists in every part of the globe. This – observes the Pope – puts their health, their psycho-physical well-being at risk and deprives them of the right to education and to live childhood with joy and serenity. The pandemic has further aggravated the situation “. Child labor, explains Bergoglio,” is not to be confused with the small household tasks that children, in their free time and according to their age, can carry out in the context of family life. , to help parents, siblings, grandparents or other community members. These activities are generally favorable to their development, because they allow you to test your skills and grow in awareness and responsibility “.