World Day Against Child Labour

“The only way to end child labour is to ensure that all children have access to education and opportunities.” - ILO Director-General (International Labour Organization). Throughout the world, around 218 million children work, many full-time. They do not go to school and have little or no time to play. Many do not receive proper nutrition or care. They are denied the chance to be children. More than half of them are exposed to the worst forms of child labour such as work in hazardous environments, slavery, or other forms of forced labour, illicit activities including drug trafficking and prostitution, as well as involvement in armed conflict. However, not all work done by children should be classified as child labour. Children’s or adolescents’ participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling is generally regarded as being something positive. This includes activities such as helping their parents around the home, assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays. These kinds of activities contribute to children’s development and to the welfare of their families; they provide them with skills and experience, and help to prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life. Child labour is work carried out to the detriment and endangerment of a child, in violation of international law and national legislation. It either deprives children of schooling or requires them to assume the dual burden of schooling and work. The United Nations World Day Against Child Labour is observed annually on June 12th. This year’s theme is Let’s Act on Our Commitments: End Child Labour! Prevalence of Child Labour. The UN states that since 2000, for nearly two decades, the world had been making steady progress in reducing child labour. But over the past few years, conflicts, crises and the COVID-19 pandemic, have plunged more families into poverty and forced millions more children into child labour. Economic growth has not been sufficient, nor inclusive enough, to relieve the pressure that too many families and communities feel and that makes them resort to child labour. Africa ranks highest among regions both in the percentage of children in child labour one-fifth and the absolute number of children in child labour 72 million. Asia and the Pacific ranks second highest in both these measures 7% of all children and 62 million in absolute terms are in child labour in this region. The Africa and the Asia and the Pacific regions together account for almost nine out of every ten children in child labour worldwide. The remaining child labour population is divided among the Americas (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab States (1 million). In terms of incidence, 5% of children are in child labour in the Americas, 4% in Europe and Central Asia, and 3% in the Arab States. While the percentage of children in child labour is highest in low-income countries, their numbers are actually greater in middle-income countries. 9% all children in lower-middle-income countries, and 7% of all children in upper-middle-income countries, are in child labour. Statistics on the absolute number of children in child labour in each national income grouping indicate that 84 million children in child labour, accounting for 56% of all those in child labour, actually live in middle-income countries, and an additional 2 million live in high-income countries. This scenario clearly speaks to child neglect and or abandonment. Children should be allowed to live out their childhood and not be burdened with running a household. Unfortunately, the education system is ill-equipped to monitor such students. The right of a child is being negatively impacted in those instances where the child voluntarily removes him/herself from school or in some instances is told to stop attending school. Sadly we are no longer our brother’s keeper. Concern in Jamaica. Approximately 38,000 youth between the ages of five and 17 are involved in child labour in Jamaica, according to the latest International Labour Organization (ILO) report. Out of them, about 13,000 children fetch water or collect firewood, constituting an argument for accelerated efforts to reach universal water and electricity coverage. These overall estimates mask important differences by sex, age and residence. Boys are more likely to be involved in child labour than their female peers: there is a 4 percentage point difference between boys and girls for the overall 5–17 years age group. The difference in child labour involvement between rural and urban children is also significant: the rate of child labour in rural areas (8 percent) is twice that in urban areas (4 percent). In fact, there are many persons who believe that this number is rather conservative. There are instances where students stop attending school in order to join the workforce for a while. The Childcare and Protection Act criminalizes child labour. Under the Act, a person is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding $500,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. The harsh economic realities in Jamaica sometimes forces older children to work in order for their younger siblings to have food on the table. Latin America and the Caribbean. A 2021 ILO and UNICEF report estimates that 8.2 million children between the ages of 5-17 years of age are engaged in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean. Most of these children are male adolescents, with 33% being girls. Child labour is present in both rural and urban areas, with about 48.7% being in the agricultural sector. Just under 50% of those engaged in child labour are in family work. Over 50 percent of the children are engaged in hazardous work, meaning it is dangerous to their health, education and wellbeing. The Way Forward. As the international community observes the World Day against Child Labour there is an urgent need for governments to do more research especially as this relates to quantitative information in order to guide polices and intervention programmes. Governments should be held accountable regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they adopted in 2015, include a renewed global commitment to ending child labour. Without a doubt World Day against Child Labour is primarily observed to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour