According to the convention of the United Nations, children below 15 and 18 years of age respectively are recognized as children. However, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t allowed to work, only that they shall be protected from economical utilization and detrimental work. About 246 million children are engaged in child labour.
UNICEF is one institution of the UN which works directly with questions concerning children.

Child labour in the world

Children may be trafficked, forced into debt bondage or other forms of slavery, into prostitution and pornography, into participating in armed conflicts and agriculture, in which the vast majority of children work (70%). Of the estimated 246 million child labourers, 171 million works in hazardous situations or conditions, such as working in mines, working with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture and working with dangerous machinery. Why are there so many children working in the world?

The apprehension about what childhood is and when the adult life begins is very different in different countries and because of these cultural differences they strictly have to consider what child labour entails. Therefore they have tried to draw the line between work that children do and child labour. Child labour means work which impairs the child’s health and development. Many children start working early and have long work days/ hours. Children often have unhealthy and dangerous working conditions, a very low income, too much responsibility for their young age and it’s an obstacle for their self-knowledge.

The usage of children for cheap labour is influenced by the country’s poverty, the growth of the population, possibilities to go to school and the development of the economy.
Poverty is the largest reason for child labour. Poor families have to send their children to work to increase their income. Children who work can’t go to school and therefore they don’t gain the knowledge they would need as adults on the labour market.
The traditions of a country also influence child labour. The lack of desire and the decreasing number of children going to school increases the risk for children to end up as a young worker.

The employers hire children because they can reduce salary expenses by paying children less than grown-ups. In addition, children learn easier and don’t belong to trade unions so therefore they can’t defend their interests. Children are seen as loyal workers and have physical and other special advantages, such as a small built.

The convention of the United Nations for rights for children

The first important step the UN took for these children was the rise of Unicef in December, 1946. The first statement the UN made for children was the declaration for children’s rights in 1959. The convention of children was approved by the UN in 1989. The convention gives a universal definition of the rights in which all children in the world ought to have. It will be enforced in all societies, no matter which culture or religion it is. Each person qualifies as a child under the age of 18, if not, he/she becomes of age earlier according to the national legislation. The convention contains 54 articles from which 41 are about the rights every child ought to have.

Some examples from the convention:

Unicef:s work against child labour

Unicef works to prevent children being forced to work by fighting against poverty, improve the health service, and create social security systems and spread information. An important contribution to give these children is to provide them with an education and give them an alternative to a life on the street. Unicef tries to convince political decision-makers with information. Unicef co-operate with governments and other organs of the UN, in a big number of projects to help working children and their families. In many different countries Unicef works by finding and helping children with dangerous jobs.
All children in the world should have the right to play, and act like a child, like this little boy.

How can child labour decrease?

We’re living in a rich part of the world, and we often choose to ignore the rest of the world that doesn’t live under the same circumstances as we do. It’s easier to focus on oneself and try to forget the reality in the rest of the world. Most of us know that the clothes we’re wearing are made by children, but we still continue to buy these clothes. I think that we, who are the consumers, have to make greater demands in the stores so they can make demands on the owners of the factories so the conditions can improve.

But now we have a new problem, one example is H&M that participated in “Clean clothes” which implies that the conditions for the workers would be better and that there won’t be any risks for the environment and so on. And now, we think: “Good! H&M is taking responsibility, showing us that they care.” But how can we be sure that these demands are fulfilled? Children who work don’t know their rights, and if they’d joined a trade they’ve got to take the risk to be kicked. They also give away their environment and nature resources. The water is being polluted and large grounds are destroyed because of the chemicals. Meanwhile, H&M’s profit is several milliards. But do they use this money to improve the conditions for the workers in Asia? The answer is probably no. I think it’s very important for us, the consumers, to make greater demands and to stop ignoring this big problem.

It’s also important to remember that the majority of the child labourers are those who are working in agriculture and it’s due to poverty.
They can’t afford an education and the income they get can be very important for the survival of the family. So, what happens if these children don’t go to work? I think this is a very difficult question to take a stand on. Of course I’m against child labour, but how can we make it decrease? I think that organisations like Unicef are very important, because they do a lot of things to help the children, and maybe they could spread more information to people who live in the rich part of the world and make them realize what is happening.

I think that poverty is both the reason and the consequence of child labour.
Do families really earn more money when they send their children to school and the parents are unemployed? The legislation is not enough in the fight against child labour. I think that national acting plans, which focus on child labour is necessary to decrease child labour. Individual contributions are not enough, the contributions have to be a part of a wide national plan. I also think that research about child labour is important to make effective national strategies develop. It’s also important that governments and voluntary organisations co-operate to make it effective, and media, teachers, artists and parliamentarian should also be involved. There also have to be some kind of institutional mechanism which can be in charge of maintenance.

I think that in the West we have to support these countries with benefits, to help them afford education for the children, so they can gain the knowledge they need in the future, or else the countries will never develop. More information about child labour is needed for us who choose to ignore this big problem. Every individual person can help by giving money to organisations, have a child they sponsored, but we all have to give attention to the problem.

Do you ever think about this huge problem as a citizen in a global world?

© 2004 Freeway