The Institute for Domestic and International Affairs, Inc.
International Labour Organization
Child Labor
Director: Susanna Su
© 2007 Institute for Domestic & International Affairs, Inc. (IDIA)
This document is solely for use in preparation for Rutgers Model
United Nations 2007. Use for other purposes is not permitted
without the express written consent of IDIA. For more
information, please write us at [email protected]
Introduction _________________________________________________________________ 1
Background _________________________________________________________________ 2
Child Soldiers ____________________________________________________________________ 6
Current Status _______________________________________________________________ 9
MDG Achievements and Shortcomings __________________________________________ 12
Bloc Positions_______________________________________________________________ 12
Africa __________________________________________________________________________ 12
Asia____________________________________________________________________________ 13
Latin and South America__________________________________________________________ 13
The United States ________________________________________________________________ 14
European States _________________________________________________________________ 14
Summary___________________________________________________________________ 16
Discussion Questions _________________________________________________________ 17
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Introduction
The International Labor Organization (ILO) defines child labor as “work that
deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful
to physical and mental development.” Child labor severely hinders a child’s mental and
economic development by detracting from education. The worst forms of child labor,
such as agricultural work and forced military recruitment, also place children in
immediate danger and threaten their lives. Much of the child labor issue lies in a
structural problem. When families are impoverished, they have no choice but to sell their
children to a third party, as a bonded worker. This practice has become a norm in several
states. Other forms of child labor include livestock, forestry, fishing, mining and
quarrying, manufacturing, construction, trade, and transport.
Children are viewed as a beneficial economic resource by the government of
developing states and their parents. Many times, struggling parents choose to bear
children because of the extra income the family will receive. Developing countries
benefit by using child laborers because children work for less money than an adult.
Developing states choose to argue that developed nations oppose child labor in an
attempt to eliminate economic competition.
The ILO has passed several conventions concerning child labor, the most
important being the Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention (No. 182), ratified in 1999.
Even though this convention addresses many aspects of child labor, it is ultimately up to
the member states themselves to take the initiative and implement laws abolishing child
labor. This convention, along with others, such as the Convention on the Rights of Child,
have raised awareness about this issue. Governments in developed states are now aiming
to develop policies to remove children from unsafe and hazardous workplaces where they
are exposed to dangerous conditions and chemicals. Unfortunately, The United Nations
Children’s Fund estimates that almost 218 million children under the age of 17 are
working as child laborers.
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Background
The 1780s marked a major turning point in terms of child labor awareness, in light
of the Industrial Revolution, but child labor still plagues the international community to
this day. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are currently
250 million children between the ages of five and seventeen working in developing
states. Additionally, the ILO identifies the worst forms of child labor as slavery and
trafficking, child prostitution and pornography, forced military recruitment, and work
which threatens a child’s safety and health.1 One of the earliest efforts taken to include
children’s rights in international law came from the League of Nations in the Declaration
on the Rights of the Child 1924. This legal effort focused on protection and vulnerability
of the child but was non-binding and few states included it in domestic law.2 Although
the 1924 Declaration had little impact on the actions of states, it initiated the slow
progression to promote and encourage respect for children’s rights.
In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted a second Declaration on the Rights of
the Child to be followed by a third declaration in 1959. All of the aforementioned
declarations were ethical statements that did not serve as legally binding instruments. It
was not until 1979 that the Polish delegation’s formal proposal placed pressure on the UN
to create a binding treaty recognizing children’s rights.3 Over the next decade, this
proposal was revised several times due to numerous controversies concerning certain
rights. States found balancing traditional values, cultural attitudes, and radical proposals a
challenge in drafting the document.
Since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 1989,
numerous strides advanced the legal status of children. The CRC is the first binding
universal treaty dedicated exclusively to the protection and promotion of children’s
rights. This significant international achievement gave the child the status of an
independent rights’ holder and set children’s issues at the core of the mainstream human
1
IPEC, “C182 Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, 1999,”
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/ratification/convention/text.htm
2
“Convention on the Rights of the Child”, UN Childrens Fund, http://www.unicef.org/crc/convention.htm
3
Ibid.
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rights agenda.4 Under the CRC, children enjoy a full range of rights including civil,
political, economic, and social rights. Article 3 states that the best interests of the child
are the primary consideration in all matters concerning the child.5
Agricultural work is the most widespread form of child labor, incorporating 70 per
cent of child workers, and it is the most dangerous work because of its severe physical
demands. Children in the agricultural sector perform tasks such as loading hay, picking
crops, and guiding planes to spray pesticides. Working in agriculture places children in
immediate and long-term danger, due to exposure to intense sun and heat, heavy
machinery, and toxic chemicals from pesticides. Children usually work without proper
protection clothing and washing facilities to rid themselves of pesticide residue, which is
linked to an increased risk of cancer, and causes 200,000 to 300,000 cases of acute
pesticide poisoning every year, as estimated by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency. 6,
7
Farm machinery requires training to operate properly and is
designed for adult use. Accidents due to farm machinery and farm vehicles are common
within the agricultural sector. Heavy lifting is especially damaging to children in the in
the because long term effect are damaging, since
constant stooping and kneeling
damages spine and limb growth. In 2001, the ILO ratified the Safety and Health in
Agriculture Convention (No. 184), which obligates ratifying states to conduct routine
inspections of farms, to allow workers to leave potentially dangerous jobs, and to set
agricultural equipment that can only be operated by trained workers.
Bonded labor refers to when a child is “indentured to landowners, factory owners,
craftsmen, hotel owners, and others.”8 In many cases, impoverished families face the
4
Fottrell, Deirdre. “One step forward or two steps sideways?” assessing the first decade of
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.” Revisiting Children’s Rights: 10 years of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child. Ed. Deirdre Fottrell. Cambridge: Kluwer Law International, 2000.1-14.
5
“United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989” Revisiting Children’s Rights: 10 years of the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ed. Deirdre Fottrell. Cambridge: Kluwer Law International, 2000, 221-238
6
ILO, “Child labour in agriculture,” ILO,
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/comp/child/download/pdf/agriculture.pdf
7
Food and Agricultural Organization, “Farm Wage Labour: Poorest of the Rural Poor,” Food and Agricultural
Organization, http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0262e/x0262e19.htm
8
Sandy Hobbs, Jim McKechnie, Michael Lavalette, Child Labor – A World History Companion (Santa Barbara:
ABC-CLIO, 1999), 235.
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reality of selling their children to landowners when there is a family debt to be paid off or
when the family is struggling and desperate for money. Bonded labor is illegal in most of
the nations it is prevalent in, yet it is still one of the most widespread forms of child labor
because most nations in which bonded labor is found do not properly enforce the laws
which forbid bonded labor. Children who are bonded laborers sometimes work under
several different employers in their lifetime, since their employers can sell them
whenever they wish to. Bonded laborers work until they can pay off their debts, but this
process usually takes many years, since the children earn little wages. The work children
do as bonded laborers incorporate everything from farming to sexual exploitation to
house chores.
The child workers are subject to terrible treatment because most
governments do not implement bonded labor laws effectively.
Children are also
vulnerable and often unable to defend their human rights because of their threatening
employers.
Employers sometimes beat or even kill children for misbehaving or
attempting to escape.
Poverty and lack of education contribute directly to child labor. When families are
impoverished, they send their children to work in order to generate income and sustain
the family. Employing forced child labor is an unacceptable solution to reducing poverty
because children become trapped and end up working below minimum wage for the rest
of their lives. One method in reducing child labor is to urge states to draft stricter laws
pertaining to child labor and punish those guilty of employing child workers. Another
method is to have education more available so that children will have an alternative to
working in factories, farms, etc. The road to eliminating child labor has many challenges.
In several developing nations, child labor is an important part of the economy. For
example, in Egypt, cotton serves as the nation’s major cash crop. As a result, one million
child workers every year work on farms, picking the pests out from the cotton. Some
nations also incorporate child work into their culture, such as the Ivory Coast. In the
Ivory Coast, families traditionally send children to stay with other families for a certain
amount of time acquiring a certain skill. This method is thought to be a more efficient
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way of earning a living,
rather than attending school,
which remains unaffordable
for many citizens.9
Estimates
Human
Rights
by
the
Watch,
suggest that of about 218
million children engaged in
child labor around the world,
about 69 per cent (150
million)
are
working
in
agriculture. Conditions that
the child agricultural workers frequently face are “long hours in scorching heat, haul
heavy loads of produce, are exposed to toxic pesticides, and suffer high rates of injury
from sharp knives and other dangerous tools. Their work is grueling and harsh, violating
their rights to health, education, and protection from work that is hazardous or
exploitative.”10 Additionally, the number of children working in agriculture is nearly ten
times that of children involved in factory work such as “garment manufacturing, carpetweaving, or soccer-ball stitching. Yet despite their numbers and the difficult nature of
their work, children working in agriculture have received little attention compared to
child labor in manufacturing for export or children involved in commercial sexual
exploitation.”11
The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children, meaning all
persons under eighteen, “unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained
earlier," have a right "to be protected from performing any work that is likely to be
hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health
9
Samlanchith Chanthavong, “Chocolate and Slavery: Child Labor in Cote d’Ivoire,” Trade Environment Database,
http://www.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm
10
“Child Labor” Human Rights Watch. http://hrw.org/children/labor.htm
11
Ibid
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or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development."12 All states parties to the
Convention—every government in the world except for the United States and Somalia—
are required to "undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures
for
the
implementation
of
the
rights
recognized
in
this
Convention."13
The most important ILO legislation addressing child labor is the Worst Forms of
Child Labor Convention (No. 182). Ratified in 1999, the convention specifies various
types of child labor, which children must not endure “all forms of slavery or practices
similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom
and forced or compulsory labour.”14 The problem with conventions is that although they
lay out the international standards that member states should adhere to, they are rarely
adhered to completely because they are not legally binding.
Also, if international
organizations provide children with more educational opportunities, they must offer
support to families so that the children are able to continue receiving education. A large
part of the child labor crisis is a structural problem. Many employers are reliant on
children in the informal economy to carry out the work, if the children were to be
released, these businessmen would suffer. financially Not only are children left with
little alternatives, but businesses also fall into the trap of child labor. If families were
economically stable, children would not need to work, but since many are not, the child is
forced to support the family.
Child Soldiers
There is no precise definition of a child soldier, but the Coalition to Stop the Use
of Child Soldiers defines child soldiers as “any person less than 18 years of age who is a
member of or attached to the armed forces or an armed group, whether or not there is an
armed conflict.”15 Despite the provisions in the Optional Protocol, hundreds of thousands
12
13
IPEC, “C182 Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, 1999,”
Ibid.
Ibid.
15
“Research Guide for the Child Soldiers Global Report 2004,” Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers,
http://www.child-soldiers.org/document_get.php?id=739 Accessed: 3 March 2005
14
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of children under the age of 18 have been recruited or forced into government armies,
rebel forces, or paramilitary and militia groups over the last decade. With the increased
availability of inexpensive small arms and light weapons, child soldiers as young as ten
are abducted or recruited by military forces.16 Child soldiers serve as combatants, forced
sexual slaves, messengers, porters and cooks. The Special Representative estimates that
there are currently 300,000 child soldiers active in the international community.17 As
conflicts continue, deteriorating economic and social conditions cause poorer children to
join armed forces as an escape from poverty. In many African countries where unstable
economies are causing conflict, it is inevitable that rebel forces will recruit as much as
possible. Guerilla armies such as the National Resistance Army (NRA) that control large
areas in Uganda have taken over schools to recruit and train children to fight. Rebel
troops take these same actions in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC), Liberia, Nepal, Rwanda, Somalia, and the Sudan.18
In order for children to successfully recover from the effects of armed conflict,
there are three primary aspects that have been identified: disarmament, demobilization,
and reintegration (DDR programmes). Disarmament is the collection and disposal of
weapons in areas of armed conflict.19 Demobilization efforts involve the immediate
separation of children from military groups and adult soldiers. Assistance should be
provided to aid the child’s immediate needs and safe return to their families or home
communities. The reintegration of child soldiers is a slow adjustment process and
reunification with their communities. However, these children may be rejected from their
families or communities. Without the help of a strong support system, the psychological
effects on these children may leave them permanently damaged. The greatest challenge to
16
“Small Arms,” Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict,
http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/English/SmallArms.html Accessed 28 February 2005
17
Graca, 7.
18
Rabwoni, Okwir, “Reflections on Youth and Militarism in Contemporary Africa.” Young Africa: Realising the
Rights of Children and Youth, Ed. Nicolas Argenti and Alex de Waal. Trenton: Africa World Press, Inc., 2002. 155170.
19
Graca, 14.
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DDR programmes is the lack of resources and poor process monitoring.20 The
demobilization and reintegration processes are being evaluated from previous cases in
Cambodia, El Salvador, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and other conflict zones.21
In July 2004, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it was
initiating investigations into crimes committed in the course of armed conflict in
Northern Uganda and the DRC, where thousands of child soldiers are still being used.22
Although the use of children in armed conflict is seen most often in Africa, child soldiers
are used in regions in the Asia and the Pacific such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and
Myanmar.23 Governments continue to provide military training and assistance to armed
forces using child soldiers and encourage paramilitaries to abduct children for use in
armed forces.
When armed conflict rises, military groups attempt to increase their strength by
forcing children to join.
For example, in its efforts to overthrow the Ugandan
government, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abducted more than six thousand
children in 1998 alone.24 Child soldiers have little choice but to join militant groups
because they believe the group will provide food and protection. However, groups such
as the LRA actually do the complete opposite – they place children in immediate danger
by forcing them into the front lines, where the children could easily be shot and killed.
Although approximately two-thirds of child soldiers are boys, militant groups also kidnap
girls and use them as sex objects. Not only do child soldiers emerge out of armed
conflict with permanent physical wounds, but they bear emotional scars. Once children
are released from battle, the ILO must provide services such as counseling and vocational
training to reintegrate the children back into society.
20
Ibid, 19.
“Child Soldiers,” Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict,
http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/English/ChildSoldiers.html Accessed: 28 February 2005
22
“ICC’s Uganda Probe Must Protect Witnesses,” Human Rights Watch,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/28/uganda9162.htm Accessed: 3 March 2005.
23
“Child Soldiers Global Report 2004” Coalition to stop the use of child soldiers http://www.childsoldiers.org/document_get.php?id=804 Accessed 3 March 2005
24
Anti-Slavery, “Child soldiers around the world,”
http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/award/uganda.htm
21
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Current Status
In 2006, various projects were able to reduce child labor in several countries
through tripartite cooperation. In Pakistan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of
surgical instruments, the ILO and the Surgical Instrument Manufacturers Association of
Pakistan (SIMAP) initiated a program to remove children from surgical instrument
factories. By the end of the SIMAP program in 2006, 2,600 out of 5,000 child laborers
were liberated from the factories. A major influence in this case was Nike, a company
that has been accused of using child laborers in its factories. In November 2006, Nike
severed its ties with Saga Sports after accusations that Saga Sports was hiring
subcontractors which employed children.25
Corporations must take action against
suppliers hiring children in order to bring about fair labor practices.
As of 12 October 2006, India placed a ban on child labor, prohibiting children
under the age of fourteen to be employed in domestic services and hazardous jobs.
Perpetrators can face a fine of 20,000 rupees ($500 USD) and up to a one-year jail
sentence.26 However, in the past, India passed numerous bans on child labor, none of
which were implemented effectively.
Even though the ILO was successful in reducing the occurrences of several child
labor practices, the agricultural sector presents a dilemma. Child labor in the agricultural
sector is so prevalent because employers develop tactics to mask their practices, such as
claiming that the work is part of a required quota to be fulfilled by the child’s family.
Companies also create subcontracting agreements in which they state that they are not
liable for any child labor on their farms.27 The other challenge lies in government
structure. The agriculture sector “is also historically and traditionally an under-regulated
sector in many countries,”28 so national child labor laws, such as those barring children
25
International Herald Tribune, “Pakistan’s gleaming surgical instruments, export tarnished by child labor,”
Associated Press, http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/08/asia/AS_GEN_Pakistan_Instruments_of_Toil.php
26
Amelia Gentleman, “In India, ban on child labor to be tightened,” International Herald Tribune,
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/09/news/child.php
27
IPEC, IPEC action against child labor: Highlights 2006 (Geneva: IPEC, 2007), 49.
28
Ibid.
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from operating tractors and heavy machinery, do not usually carry over to agriculture,
which employs 70 per cent of child laborers.
The ILO promotes the use of education to combat child labor. In the report titled
“Education as an intervention strategy to eliminate and prevent child labour,” the ILO
claims that “Education is pivotal to eliminating and preventing child labour, to
establishing a skilled workforce and to promoting development based on the principles of
social justice and human rights.”29 The ILO Convention No. 182 created a time-bound
programme (TBP) to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. Countries ratifying this
Convention must take immediate and effective measures to secure the prohibition and
elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency, including timebound measures to “prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child
labour, … ensure access to free basic education and appropriate vocational training for all
children removed from the worst forms of child labour, identify and reach out to children
at special risk; and, take account of the special situation of girls.” 30
The TBP is designed as a comprehensive framework for governments to chart a
course of action with well-defined targets, and a set of policies aimed at eliminating child
labor. The TBPs emphasize the need to address the root causes of child labor, “linking
action for its elimination to national development policies, macro-economic trends and
strategies … with particular emphasis on economic and social policies to combat poverty
and to promote universal basic education... The TBPs’ time horizon is set in accordance
with the prevalence of the worst forms of child labour, the availability of resources, the
level of local expertise and other conditions prevailing in the country.”31
The TBP approach highly focuses on the rapid elimination of the worst forms of
child labor. The TBP gathers many of the successful approaches piloted previous
programs that raise awareness, “legislation and enforcement, education, employment and
29
“Consolidated Good Practices of the International Practices of the International Programme on the Elimination of
Child Labor (IPEC) http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/bangkok/apec/download/edu_strat.pdf
30
“Education.” IPEC. http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Actiononchildlabour/Education/lang--en/index.htm
31
“Time Bound Programmes” IPEC. http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Actiononchildlabour/Time-BoundProgrammes/lang-en/index.htm.
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social protection with withdrawal and rehabilitation interventions. IPEC sees the TBP as
a key strategic approach for attaining large-scale impact on the worst forms of child
labour.”32
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, an there is an
estimate of “218 million children aged 5-17 are engaged in child labor, excluding child
domestic labour. Some 126 million of these children are believed to be engaged in
hazardous situations or conditions, such as working in mines, working with chemicals
and pesticides in agriculture or working with dangerous machinery. They are everywhere
but invisible, toiling as domestic servants in homes, labouring behind the walls of
workshops, hidden from view in plantations.”33 Specifically, Asia has the highest per
centage of bound labor, as this region harbors the “largest number of child workers in the
5-14 age group, 127.3 million in total. (19 per cent of children work in the region.)”34 In
Sub-saharan Africa, almost of one-third of the children under the age of fifteen work, and
in Latin America and the Caribbean, there are 17.4 million child workers (equivalent to
16 per cent of children in the region).
35
Although there is world wide opposition to child soldiers, there have been more
than 20 noted conflicts in the past five years where children were involved in armed
conflict. In Liberia, Government forces, pro-government armed groups and opposition
groups reportedly forced the use of child soldiers. Some of these children were as young
as seven years old. To date, about 21,000 child soldiers needed demobilization. This
number includes “an unknown number of girls abducted into sexual slavery. A peace deal
was signed in August 2003, but disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration
programmes had not begun by March 2004.”36 Similarly, in Sierra Leone, nearly 7,000
child soldiers joined reintegration programmes “but the special needs of thousands of
abducted girls were not addressed. Some ex-Sierra Leonean child soldiers were re32
Ibid
“Child Labor.” United Nations Childrens Fund. http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_childlabour.html
34
Ibid
35
Ibid
36
“West Africa: Child Soldiers.” Reuters AlertNet. http://www.alertnet.org/childsoldiers6.htm
33
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recruited to fight wars in Liberia and Ivory Coast. Many were forced to carry out
atrocities. The Special Court for Sierra Leone indicted several leaders of armed groups
and former Liberian President Charles Taylor for crimes including the recruitment of
child soldiers and sexual slavery.”37
MDG Achievements and Shortcomings
Eliminating child labor contributes to several United Nations Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). By removing children from factories and other dangerous
workplaces, the ILO helps towards achieving the first MDG, “Eradicating extreme
hunger and poverty.” When children do not work, they are able to receive an education.
Education is a key factor in obtaining skillful jobs in the future and working oneself out
of poverty, instead of staying in the factories for meager wages. When children are freed
from bonded labor, it is absolutely necessary that they receive an education as well,
contributing to the second MDG , “Achieve universal primary education.” Otherwise,
they will have no choice but to revert back to working. Also, by education children
instead of allowing them to work, MDG Four, “Reduce child mortality” is accomplished,
since children will not be subjected to abuse from their employers and danger from
machines, chemicals, and other work environments.
The UN, along with other specialized agencies, such as the ILO, UNICEF and
UNCHR (UN Commission on Human Rights).
Bloc Positions
Africa
While child labor in Asia and Latin America has declined slightly, child labor
continues to plague Africa.
In Africa, poverty severely limits any economic
opportunities. A large part of the child labor crisis is due to the lack of alternatives for
children, especially due to the rising H.I.V. rate. Everyday, more children become
orphans and must work to support themselves, or they work to help their parents who
37
Ibid,
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suffer from AIDS.38 Unless Africa is presented with proper healthcare means, the child
labor trend will continue. Many parts of Africa, such as Sudan, are also in the middle of
bloody civil wars, causing children to be abducted and become soldiers.
Asia
Asia is home to about 122 million child workers between the age of five and
fourteen.39 Although India placed a child labor ban in October 2006, laws must be
properly implemented if child labor is to diminish. Natural disasters such as the Indian
Ocean tsunami in 2004 and the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005 crumbled economies and
are likely to exacerbate efforts to eradicate child labor, by increasing the risk, due to the
aftermath.
All states in the Asia-Pacific region ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child, but many governments have not publicized reports to the Committee on the
Rights of the Child. The exploitation of children for the commercial sex trade, domestic,
and agricultural work is supported by the increased trafficking activity in the region.
Activity is usually seen from less developed to developing states. The International
Labour Organization (ILO) implemented a regional programme to root out the worst
forms of child labour starting in Central Asian states. The ILO plans to increase the
population’s knowledge about the unlawful use of child labour and investigate child
labour in the region.40
Latin and South America
There have been numerous documented cases in Latin and South America where
children have endured exploitation as sex slaves. In particular, Nicaragua, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Panama, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica have coerced children in this
manner. Interestingly, each of these states are parties to the CRC and ILO Convention of
38
Michael Wines, “Africa adds to miserable ranks of child workers,” International Herald Tribune,
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/24/africa/web.0824zambia.php
39
USA Today, “U.N. report: Child labor declining for the first time,” USA Today,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-05-04-un-child-labor_x.htm
40
“International body to root out “worst forms” of child labour in Central Asia,” BBC Worldwide Monitoring
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the Worst Forms of Child Labor (C.182). Even though this convention outlines policy
and action oriented research on the worst forms of child labor, “conducting awareness
raising activities, supporting a process of tripartite consultation to develop national
programmes of action and preventive strategies, and formulating and implementing
action programmes for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour” does not seem
to be effective in this area.
41
The United States
Although the United States has been one of the biggest advocates and proponents
for eliminating child labor, cases of forces child labor still exist, primarily in the
agricultural setting. Children as young as ten have been found working in farms.
Although the US government has stringent regulations, such as limited hours and paid
work, these children face hazardous and unsafe conditions.
Earlier this year, the US Congress passed Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007,
this act would curtail U.S. military assistance to “governments that fail to take steps to
demobilize and stop recruiting children into the armed forces or government-supported
militias. Countries that take steps to demobilize child soldiers would be eligible for
certain forms of assistance in that process for up to two years, to help professionalize
their forces and ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used to finance the exploitation of
children in armed conflict.”42
European States
UNICEF UK reports that 97 per cent of the worst cases of child labor take place in
developing states. Thirty years ago, developed countries pledged to allocate 0.7 per cent
of gross domestic product to development aid to ensure that the human rights and the
41
“International Labor Standards-Child Labor” Child Labor In Latin America. Cornell University.
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=child
42
“Washington, D.C.: World Vision Says 'No Child Soldiers'” WorldVision.org.
http://www.worldvision.org/donate.nsf/0c4a1249429302d1872570cb0070734b/c9a0a7b063986c72882572eb004a08
3c!OpenDocument
http://www.worldvision.org/donate.nsf/0c4a1249429302d1872570cb0070734b/c9a0a7b063986c72882572eb004a08
3c!OpenDocument
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rights of children were protected. The only five countries that fulfilled that promise
included Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
43
Although
child sex slaves are not found in the UK, many sex slaves are trafficked through the UK
to other states.
43
“One in 12 children forced into world’s ‘worst forms’ of labor: UNICEF UK” Agence France Presse
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Summary
Child labor is a cruel practice employed mainly by developing nations. Children
that are forced into labor suffer from long term effects both physically and mentally. Of
the International Labor Organizations Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention of 1999,
it listed amongst the top and most heinous forms of child labor as: slavery, sexual
exploitation, and children forced in combat. One of the worst consequences of these
types of child labor is the deprivation of these children from a proper education. Since
these children are not educated, they will likely end up in deep poverty. One of the ILO’s
biggest programs is aimed to educating developing states on the consequences of child
labor. Most commonly, children are coerced into working in agricultural settings, as
farmhands. Children in other environments, such as manufacturing, often are exposed to
dangerous chemicals and machines.
Eliminating the use of child laborers will help the United Nations achieve the
Millennium Development Goals of “Achieving Universal Primary Education,” and
“Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger,” as well as “Reduce Child Mortality”.
Unfortunately, these goals are far from being met, the international community, along
with the ILO must gather ways and ideas to defeat child labor.
Many conflict torn regions, African states, in specific, have resorted to using
children as a tool in combat. Most of the time, these children are taken from their
families without consent and are forced into joining militias and armies. In recent years,
developed states, such as the United States and EU have taken steps towards the
elimination of child soldiers by using weak forms of economic sanctions. As a strategy
to remove children from the battle field, the disarmament, demobilisation and
reintegration has worked effectively, but thousands of child soldiers still are not
demobilized.
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Discussion Questions
• Many states passed child labor laws, but even though they include penalties, they
remain ineffective. How can your state go about implementing its child labor laws
effectively?
• How can your state provide support to impoverished families so that their children
do not need to work anymore?
• How can your state provide support to companies and businesses which might
depend on child laborers?
• What is the status of child labor in your state? What types of labor are most
common? What kind of economic impact does this have ? What type of social
impact does this have?
• In the case of child soldiers, what specific steps does your state recommend?
What about in the case of sexually exploited children?
• How should (or should not) the programs in place by the ILO, UNICEF and other
UN agencies be modified to become more effective in removing children from the
battlefield?
• How can the UN and its agencies raise more public awareness on the issue of
forced child labor?
• Besides education and increased funding, what are other realistic ways the UN can
stop child labor?
• What types of restrictions should be placed for children in the workplace so that
struggling families can still be supported, and children can still receive a proper
education?
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