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Press ReleaseUNICEF expresses regret, outrage over school explosionNew York, March 7: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expresses deep regret and outrage over the deaths of at least 37 children, who were killed by a massive explosion while allegedly assembling fireworks at their primary school in China's Jiangxi province. Our regrets go to the families of the young victims. Our outrage is directed at school officials who allegedly forced the children, as young as eight, to assemble fireworks on school grounds. News reports from the scene say that the school engaged in this business because of funding shortfalls. That is no excuse. Exploitative child labour of any form is morally unacceptable and a violation of children's rights and of international law. What is even more appalling is that the children killed in the village of Fang Lin were engaged in particularly hazardous work at a place that should be a safe haven: their school. These deaths underscore two major issues that China, and the rest of the world, must redouble efforts to address. The first is child labour. Although no accurate statistics are available, the International Labour Organization estimates that in developing countries 250 million children between age five and 14 work. More than 60 per cent of them live in Asia. Countries like China must enforce laws to prevent this practice and impose penalties for violations. The second is under-funded schools. Education is essential for children to escape the perils of poverty. But extreme funding shortages plague many developing countries, forcing school systems to find alternative means to finance education. Often this is done by charging fees to students, forcing the poorest to drop out. Both developing countries and the international community must direct more resources to education so that every child can achieve his or her right to a basic education. The primary school in Fang Lin brought these two issues together with tragic consequences. By apparently trying to alleviate funding shortfalls through its students' labour, it exposed those children to extremely dangerous work. The explosion may have been unintended, but this was no accident. The deaths were entirely preventable. * * * For further information, please contact:
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