Contents
Child Labor
Introduction
Child Labor, designation formerly applied to the practice of employing young children in factories, now used to denote the employment of minors generally, especially in work that may interfere with their education or endanger their health. Throughout the ages and in all cultures children joined with their parents to work in the fields, in the marketplace, and around the home as soon as they were old enough to perform simple tasks. The use of child labor was not regarded a social problem until the introduction of the factory system.
History of Child Labor in Europe
During the latter part of the 18th century in Great Britain, owners of cotton mills collected orphans and children of poor parents throughout the country, obtaining their services merely for the cost of maintaining them. In some cases children five and six years of age were forced to work from 13 to 16 hours a day. Read about the History of Child Labor in Europe here.
Child Labor in the United States
In the early years of the 19th century children between the ages of 7 and 12 years made up one-third of the work force in U.S. factories. Read about Child Labor in the United States here.
International Problems
In the latter part of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21th century, child labor remains a serious problem in many parts of the world. Studies carried out in 1979, the International Year of the Child, show that more than 50 million children below the age of 15 were working in various jobs often under hazardous conditions. Many of these children live in underdeveloped countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Their living conditions are crude and their chances for education minimal. The meager income they bring in, however, is necessary for the survival of their families. Frequently, these families lack the basic necessities of life—adequate food, decent clothing and shelter, and even water for bathing.
In some countries industrialization has created working conditions for children that rival the worst features of the 19th-century factories and mines. In India, for example, some 20,000 children work 16-hour days in match factories.
Child-labor problems are not, of course, limited to developing nations. They occur wherever poverty exists in Europe and the United States. A growing concern in recent years has been the increase in prostitution among youngsters in urban centers.
The most important efforts to eliminate child-labor abuses throughout the world come from the International Labor Organization (ILO), founded in 1919 and now a special agency of the United Nations. The organization has introduced several child-labor conventions among its members, including a minimum age of 16 years for admission to all work, a higher minimum age for specific types of employment, compulsory medical examinations, and regulation of night work. The ILO, however, does not have the power to enforce these conventions; it depends on voluntary compliance of member nations. [1]
Boy and Girl Child Laborers Distribution
Percentage of Boy and Girl Child Laborers by Regions:
- All countries (excluding China) : 15 % Boys; 14 % Girls.
- Least developed countries (ages 5-14) : 24 % Boys; 22 % Girls.
- Sub-Saharan Africa : 28 % Boys; 26 % Girls.
- Eastern and Southern Africa : 28 % Boys; 25 % Girls.
- Western and Central Africa : 28 % Boys; 27 % Girls.
- South Asia : 15 % Boys; 12 % Girls.
- Middle East and North Africa : 10 % Boys; 8 % Girls.
- Latin America and Caribbean Region : 9 % Boys; 7 % Girls.
- East Asia and Pacific Region (excluding China) : 8 % Boys; 7 % Girls.
- Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States : 6 % Boys; 4 % Girls.
Source: UNICEF Global Database, 2012
ILO Conventions and Declarations to Combat Child Labor
The International Labor Organization significant Conventions and Declarations to combat Child Labor are:
- In 1920, the Minimum Age (Sea) Convention (No. 7) was adopted for fixing the minimum age for admission of children to employment at sea.
- In 1921, the Minimum Age (Agriculture) Convention (No. 10) was adopted for fixing the minimum age for admission of children to employment in agriculture.
- In 1932, the Minimum Age (Non-Industrial Employment) Convention (No. 33) for fixing the age for admission of children to nonindustrial employment.
- In 1936, the Minimum Age (Sea) Convention (Revised) (No. 58) was adopted for revising the age limit for the admission of children to employment at sea.
- In 1937, the Minimum Age (Industry) Convention (Revised) (No. 59) was adopted for revising the age limit for admission of children to industrial employment.
- In 1937, the Minimum Age (Non-Industrial Employment) Convention (Revised) (No. 60) was adopted for revising the age limit for admission of children to nonindustrial employment.
- In 1959, the Minimum Age (Fishermen) Convention (No. 112) was adopted for fixing the minimum age for admission to employment as fishermen.
- In 1965, the Minimum Age (Underground Work) Convention (No. 123) was passed concerning the Minimum Age for admission to employment underground in mines.
Resources
See Also
- Worker
- Employee Benefits
- Employ
- Employment
- White Collar Worker
- Blue Collar Worker
- Labor Right
- Employee
Resources
See Also
- Social Problem
- Crime
- Delinquency
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Delinquent
- Social Issues
- Crime Prevention
Resources
Notes
1. Source: “Child Labor”Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia
See Also
- Employment Law
- Labor law
- Convention Concerning Forced Labor
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- U.S. Labor law and movement history
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
Further Reading
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