The Music Against Child Labour Initiative

Oginome Gives Special Lesson on Child Labour Issues

News | 10 June 2022
Yoko Oginome performing “Jewels - a song of love” at Wajiro Junior High School in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City, on 10 June 2022.
On 10 June, Ms Yoko Oginome, a renowned singer and ILO supporter who is working to raise awareness of labour-related issues, gave a lecture on child labour at Wajiro Junior High School in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City. “If we gather everyone’s voices, we will become very powerful,” said Ms Oginome in front of approximately 1,200 students, teachers and parents.


In 2021, first-year students at Wajiro Junior High School learnt about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of their integrated social study curriculum. The lecture on 10 June was, in a way, a continuation of this learning material from the previous year.

In the first half of the lecture, slogans and illustrations related to the SDGs and the current food waste situation were presented. In the second half of the lecture, Ms Oginome took the stage and listened intently to each question from the students. She introduced the current child labour situation, citing her own experiences. She also said that when buying plantation commodities such as bananas or chocolate, consumers should be aware of the products’ origins and the fact that they may have involved the labour of children suffering hardships. Emphasising that all adults and children have equal fundamental human rights, she called on the participants to join the movement to raise awareness about ending child labour.

Ms Oginome then performed “Jewels - a song of love”, a song she wrote to express her hope for a world without child labour, and it was met with loud applause from the participants.

A student who asked Ms Oginome a question later commented: “I was surprised to learn there are children working in the world while we have a peaceful life. When my little brother gets a bit older, I would definitely like to teach him what I have learnt today”.
Ms Oginome delivering a message that “[a]ll of us can join hands and play our own role”.