Ayushmann Khurrana: Child labour robs kids of their childhood and is a violation of their rights

Ayushmann Khurrana

In 2020, Ayushmann Khurrana was appointed as UNICEF's celebrity advocate for its global campaign, Ending Violence Against Children. In the past few months, the actor has put the spotlight on child labour in India. With the pandemic resulting in economic crisis and shutdown of schools across the country, many children have been compelled to leave their education mid-way and scout for sources of income.

"Child labour robs kids of their childhood and is a violation of their rights. The pandemic has made children, especially girls and migrant kids, more vulnerable. The closure of schools, increased violence at home, death of parents, and job loss within families are driving children to [pick up odd jobs]," laments Khurrana on World Day against Child Labour today.

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It is reported that almost nine million children worldwide will be pushed into labour by 2022-end. The actor hopes for implementation of social protection schemes that will prevent exploitation of kids. "I hope they safely go back to schools when they reopen," he adds.

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