Following the successful Decision-Makers' Back to School Day held in Lomé last October, the 100 Million campaign held its official launch in Togo on 13 March.
Hundreds of school children joined campaign co-founder Kailash Satyarthi and politicians from across Togo to support young people in their fight for the rights to freedom, safety, and education. The campaign in Togo is coordinated by WAO Afrique, which has also been a critical partner in working to end child labour.
29.6% of Togolese children aged 5-14 serve as child labourers, many in the agricultural field working in the coffee, cocoa and cotton sectors. While Togo has a good rate of children enrolling in primary school at 97%, only 61% actually complete this stage of education, meaning many adolescents are out of school.As part of Togo's commitment to work towards realising the rights of every child, the Togolese Parliament has agreed to devote a full day of debate during its sessions to the issue of the rights of the child in the country. The event was confirmed during the week of the campaign launch by the President of the National Assembly, Dama Dramani, after meeting Kailash Satyarthi. This is a major commitment by politicians, and the campaign will work to ensure that the voice of young people is heard as part of the discussions.