Our Future is in Peril: The Persistence of Child Labor - Which industries to hold accountable and what can be done
Op-Ed by Maria Wehbe, Featured Writer
June 12th, 2021
June 12th is the World Day Against Child Labor. This day reminds us of the many children that suffer single day, all over the world – whether it be in the Middle East, the United States or Europe; this is a humanitarian issue that should concern every single country around the globe. These children have to succumb to the harsh conditions of the labor that they are sometimes forced into – rather than pursuing an education and ensuring that they have a decent future, they have no other choice than to work, and in some cases, this work costs them their lives.
However, it is worth noting that “Child Labor” is a very heavy term that is quite often misinterpreted, because people seem to talk quite a lot about it, yet without ever defining what it truly is. In other words, not all children who work are considered to be victims of child labor. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labor is defined as work that deprives children from their childhood, dignity and potential, harms their mental and physical development and interferes with their schooling. The worst forms of child labor are when children are enslaved and separated from their loved ones, thereby being exposed to hazardous conditions and are prone to develop illnesses. This can be referred to as hazardous child labor – it should be prohibited, yet still persists today, all over the world.
Why is child labor still persistent today?
According to UNICEF, nearly 1 in 10 children – approximately tallying up to 152 million – face child labor today. Usually, children work because it could improve the chances of their families’ survival. Thus, the main reason why children start to work at a young age worldwide is poverty. According to the ILO, there are quite a few popular perceptions, local customs and traditions that drive these children into the work force: viewing work as a good means for character-building and skill development, following into their parents’ footsteps, viewing girls as less worthy of an education, thus forcing them to work, etc.
These children engage in the workforce at a young age because they have no other choice. Yet, many companies, individuals and industries take advantage of their vulnerability and gullibility.
Which industries should be held accountable?
As such, it is important to pinpoint the industries that are recruiting and exploiting these children in the first place. Some of the American industries are, but not limited to Unilever, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Kellogg’s. In fact, it is said that child labor in Indonesia and Malaysia is tied to the vegetable oil that is being used by these big American brand names. These children are being kept out of school, forced to work for little to no pay and are exposed to dangerous chemicals when producing the palm oil.
However, these industries were not always left unaccountable. In fact, Mars, Nestlé and Hershey are currently facing a child slavery lawsuit in the United States as of February of 2021. Eight children claimed to be used as slave labor on the cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast and have launched legal action against some of the world’s biggest chocolate companies. The plaintiffs were originally from Mali, and today, are young adults who are still awaiting compensation and justice for what was done to them – forced labor, negligent supervision and intentional infliction of emotional distress. This the first time that a class action of this scale has been filed against the cocoa industry in the US court, and this is a very good step forward. However, these now-young adults are eight cases among thousands on those cocoa farms and millions worldwide. It is a step in the right direction, yet it is still not nearly enough to eradicate child labor worldwide.
What are the roles that the ILO and UNICEF play in regulating the situation? What are they doing about it?
“It is essential to know how your national law defines child labor. An employer needs to understand the content of the national Labor Code and other laws that relate to child labor. It is against the law for a company to break the rules concerning minimum age and hazardous work”, according to the ILO’s Checkpoints for Companies regarding ‘Eliminating and Preventing Child Labor’. Indeed, there isn’t one minimum age for work, given that it differs between one country to the other – in general, it should not be less than 15 years old with light work permitted starting the age of 13. However, the biggest chunk of children in the child labor force are aged between 5 and 11, according to the ILO as well. This is quite ironic – this organization gathers data on an issue that they are supposed to be working towards eradicating. There is not enough emphasis on the laws among companies and how truly important they are in order to ensure the security of these children. The companies might not care, however, the ILO must see it through that they do, because this does not only concern them – it is a humanitarian issue that must be resolved, one way or another.
On the other hand, UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, is a United Nations agency that is responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children all over the world. It works in more than 190 countries and is amongst the most widespread and recognized social welfare organizations in the world. In that case, why isn’t the number of children in the labor force decreasing? Why is it that not all companies have been accounted for yet? Why aren’t they being held responsible?
Both the ILO and UNICEF should be held accountable for what is currently going on – even though it is the companies that are creating these hazardous and deadly environments, the ILO and UNICEF are well aware of the situation and there is so much more that needs to be done in order to bring the number down. If we continue down this path, the number of child labor victims will increase even further, and we will reach a state that is far beyond repair. The conditions of children in the child labor force have only worsened with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially with it dialing down now, action must be taken immediately.
Child Labor Stories – Only a few among so many
So many children suffer daily, and it is important that we listen to their stories.
· Alejandra is a twelve-year old girl that does not go to school, but rather collects curiles, small molluscs in the mangrove swamps on the island of Espiritu Santo in Usulutan, El Salvador.
· Hamisi is an eleven-year-old boy who has had a career as a miner in Tanzania. “You have got to get deep into the mining pit by a rope, take what you have been ordered and then go back to the surface. I nearly suffocated inside the pits due to an inadequate supply of oxygen”, says Hamisi.
· Sandy is from the Dominican Republic. He has wounds all over his hands because of the knife that he used to trim garlic plants. Before going to work, he doesn’t have breakfast, because they can’t afford it at his house. He starts his long day of work with an empty stomach – he works in the fields every day from dawn until the middle of the afternoon.
Remember their names. These children are suffering in silence, they are not being talked about enough – they deserve justice and peace, they deserve a normal childhood.
A beam of light at the end of a very dark tunnel – some countries are viewing progress
Even though the problem isn’t near being solved, some progress has been made. Many organizations all over the world are tirelessly working to eradicate child labor. First and foremost, there is the Global March Against Child Labor, which is a wide network of civil society organizations, trade unions and teachers who all work together to prevent child labor and trafficking. It increases awareness about the state of child labor around the globe and mobilizes actors from all around the world to fight for their cause alongside them.
Second, there is the Stop Child Labor Coalition that was established back in 1989: its mission is to serve as a national network for the exchange of information about child labor. It aims to influence public policies and conducts campaigns and media events.
These are only two among many others.
Awareness. Raising awareness is so much more important than anyone might have initially thought, especially with this topic, because it really is a life-or-death situation. Whether it be why child labor still exists today, the reasons behind it, the industries that should be held accountable, or the role of the ILO and UNICEF, this discussion should be brought to light. Children deserve to be fought for – their innocence and vulnerability makes them prone to this exploitation, and we must make sure that everyone be made aware that this should not be the case.
“The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.”