Children Exploited for Cheap Labor Worldwide
Washington - To lessen exploitive child labor globally, the root causes must be addressed by ensuring access to education for all children and helping families to overcome the poverty that contributes to child labor, President Obama says.
"All of us must recommit ourselves to creating a world where our children have a brighter future, free of exploitive labor," Obama said in observing the World Day Against Child Labor on June 12.
"My administration is committing $60 million this year to support efforts to reduce child labor around the world," he added in a prepared statement. The problem is well known, but resolving it requires a whole-of-government approach, the president said.
While reports indicate that child labor continues to gradually decline worldwide, much work still remains to be done before success can be achieved, he said.
The International Labour Organization's most recent estimates - contained in the Accelerating Action Against Child Labor ( http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_126752.pdf ) report (PDF, 4.24 MB) - suggest that there are still 215 million children involved in child labor. The number of child laborers declined from 222 million, or 3 percent, from 2004 to 2008.
The ILO categorizes child labor as work that is unacceptable because the children involved are too young and should be in school, or because even though they have attained the minimum age for employment, the work they do is unsuitable for a person below the age of 18. Many children are victims of the worst forms of child labor, such as bonded labor, slavery or practices similar to slavery, production and trafficking of drugs, or other work that is likely to harm their health, safety or morals, the ILO said.
The ILO has set a target of eliminating child labor by 2016.
"Progress is uneven: neither fast enough nor comprehensive enough to reach the goals that we have set," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "New and large-scale efforts are needed. The situation calls for a re-energized campaign against child labor."
"The economic downturn cannot become an excuse for diminished ambition and inaction," Somavia said. "Instead it offers the opportunity to implement the policy measures that work for people, for recovery and for sustainable development."
The ILO warns that if current trends continue, the 2016 target will be missed. "The good news is that the overall pattern of child labor reduction has been maintained: the more harmful the work and the more vulnerable the children involved, the faster the decline. However, a staggering 115 million are still exposed to hazardous work, a proxy often used for the worst forms of child labor," the ILO said in releasing its report.
EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES
The U.S. departments of State and Labor recently convened a high-level meeting of government officials and representatives of labor, business and human rights groups to develop effective strategies that will combat exploitive child labor.
"Ten years ago, we became one of the first countries to ratify the International Labour Organization's Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, and we remain committed to ending child exploitation - including child soldiering, child trafficking and any work that harms the health, safety or morals of children," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said at a recent day-long conference on child labor at the State Department.
"The problem of child labor may be entrenched, but it is also solvable," she said.
Maria Otero, the State Department's under secretary of state for democracy and global affairs, told conference participants that programs and policies that promote economic development, access to education, and effective governance all play important roles in eliminating child labor.
"Important gaps in coordination remain," Otero said. "We need to think innovatively about how we can strengthen linkages between programs and policies and extend partnerships with a wide range of actors, including workers, employers, other governments, law enforcement and civil society."
The ILO report breaks down data by age and gender, and notes that progress was greatest among children aged 5 to 14, where the number of child laborers fell by 10 percent. The number of children in hazardous work in this age range fell by 31 percent. And the report said that child labor among girls decreased considerably by 15 million, or 15 percent.
However, it increased among boys by 8 million, or 7 percent, the ILO report said. What's more, labor among young people aged 15 to 17 increased by 20 percent, from 52 million to 62 million.
The report also includes data compiled by region. It shows, for example, that the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean continue to reduce child labor, while sub-Saharan Africa has seen an increase.
