As many of you, like myself, are just returning to work this week after a long weekend in honor of Labor Day, you find the time of rest quickly passing you by once again as you work to get your children back to school. Yet while you run in search of last minute school supplies and anguish over the fact that your little ones are growing up too fast– they want to walk to school alone, won’t let you kiss them good-bye in front of all their friends, and all the signs that they are growing up– millions of other children across the globe have truly grown-up too fast. Many of these children simply had no childhood at all and all too few of them have yet to see a classroom, as they are forced to work. The term “child labor” is most often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, potential, dignity, education, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) some 215 million children are in situations of child labor exploitation. UNICEF sites that 16 percent of children between the ages of 5-14 years in developing countries are engaged in forms of child labor, and in the least developed countries the number almost doubles to 29 percent overall, while Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of child labor at 33 percent.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) there is an estimated 165 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 actively involved in child labor. Children are often forced to work long hours and in harsh and dangerous conditions. Child labor has a direct link to poverty, and provides a substantial barrier to a child’s education, thus increasing the literacy gap. Education is often taken for granted in developing nations; however, many poor and impoverished families are forced to face the choice to send their children to school or work to help the family. It is that choice that has sent millions of children out of the classroom, most often girls, to toil in fields, factories, homes and the streets.
While the complete eradication of child labor has been made a priority in many countries across the globe, the goals are a long way off from being achieved, and many countries are not looking at short-term solutions and programs. It is essential that those forms of child labor, which pose the highest safety and health risks, be immediately addressed. The majority of child laborers, some three-fourths, are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including; child soldiers, sexual exploitation and hazardous work in industries such as brick manufacturing.
Earlier this year the ILO released their report, Children in Hazardous Work: What we Know, What we Need to Know. According to the report there are 115 million children engaged in the most hazardous forms of labor, which endangers children’s safety, health and development across the globe. The report seeks to give urgent attention to the issue of children involved in the most hazardous work conditions based on:
- the scale of the problem – estimates place the current total of children in hazardous work at 115 million
- the recent rise in hazardous work among older children – an increase of 20 per cent within 4 years
- the growing evidence that adolescents suffer high rates of injury at work, in comparison with adult workers
The use of child labor impacts children’s rights in a multitude of aspects, the most detrimental in the long term is often seen to be a child’s right to education. In order to meet the UN’s Millennium Development Goals by 2015, which seek that all children receive and complete in full their primary education, regardless of gender. However, if the goals are to be meet then we must work to see that education is free, an issue that many families still struggle to attain funds for or are forced to choose between funds for school or often food for the family. Education is a major key in the battle in finding a sustainable end to child labor and must be at the forefront of the fight, for education is not only a human right for all children, but the gateway out of poverty. Education is empowerment and empowerment is the key to brake the cycle of poverty. Nonetheless, some 75 million children, worldwide, do not have the privilege of basic primary education. Other issues of major priority include; gender equality in all levels of education, education and awareness about the issues and facts of child labor, and teacher shortages.
The fight against child labor is a global fight, however it is a fight that can be won through unified global action, laws and the enforcement of such laws, empowerment/education, gender equality, and consumer awareness. How do we take the first steps to move forward? First we must ensure that the voices of children around the world are heard, and keep the spirit of Labor Day alive all year round for children. Thus never forget that child labor continues to be prevalent, seek to educate yourself and others on the issue, become a conscious consumer and try to shop Fair Trade as often as possible and support your local community.
