World Day Against Child Labour: Addressing a Global Humanitarian Issue
Opinion Analysis by Jana Al Hassanieh, Staff Writer
June 12th, 2020
In honor of June 12th marking the World Day Against Child Labour, it must be made significant that child labour directly violates fundamental human rights as it deprives children of proper education, health, safety, leisure, and their fundamental rights and freedom. The International Labour Organization (ILO), a UN agency that promotes social and economic justice by setting international labour standards and pursuing decent working conditions for all people, has thus far, estimated that around 152 million children in child labour, 73 million of which are in hazardous work conditions that directly endanger their health, safety, and development.
In 1973, at the Minimum Age Convention (No. 138), the ILO fixed the minimum age for employment at 13 years for light work, 15 years for general employment (with the infamous few exceptions such as 14 years in Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Yemen…), and 18 years for hazardous work. Although various forms of child labour exist, Article 3 of ILO Convention No.182 states that the worst forms are linked to child slavery, prostitution, pornography, drug trafficking, or any other work that is considered hazardous child labour harming the health, safety or morals of children. In 2002 however, the ILO launched the first official World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) to urge nations to eradicate child labour. Every year, the ILO adopts a new theme as a call for action towards reaching the end of child labour. In 2020, WDACL’s theme will focus on the impact of the pandemic crisis on child labour, as poverty and social marginalization can drive many vulnerable children into child labour.
Challenges faced when addressing child labour may be economic, political, social, and/or cultural. Unfortunately, child labour is both a root cause and an outcome of social inequity. When it comes to some of the political factors associated with child labour we see that poor governance, insecurity, and inadequate enforcement of laws against child labour are of the most prevalent and influential roles. The key drivers of child labour in rural areas include poverty, lack of access to quality education, absent job skills training, and deficiency of decent work opportunities. Other causes of child labour comprise of armed conflict leading to migration and driving children to work. In such cases, displaced refugee children are often the only ones in their families able to produce an income. However, the challenges go much further. Another challenge faced when addressing child labour is that the vast majority of child labour occurs in informal settings and is consequently extremely difficult to reach and track. As well, many communities have a longstanding cultural acceptance of child labour, and some even call and encourage child labour.
The ILO has reported that out of the 152 million children in child labour, around 71% work in agriculture, including farming, fishing, aquaculture, forestry, and livestock. If we were to take Lebanon as an example, there are many social, economic, and political factors associated with child labour in the Agricultural sector among Syrian refugee populations. Other than poverty and inadequate law enforcement, armed conflicts in Syria have led to forced displacement of the Syrians into Lebanon in search of better livelihoods. In 2019, a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) & UNICEF accounted that, in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, Syrian refugee children work mostly as helpers in farming, where around 60% of all working children in the country are in the agriculture sector, highest in the rural areas. However, host countries like Lebanon provide limited access to social protection, such as minimum income guarantees, insurance, and medical services. Consequently, in many cases, deep poverty has profoundly impacted the children as it has led to unattainable education and forced labour to support their families, where in some cases, they are the primary or only breadwinners in their family. Additionally, agriculture is particularly excluded from the coverage of protective legislation regarding child labour in Lebanon.
Impacts of child labour in the Agricultural sector on health and safety of the children and their development:
Most of the collective impacts of children working in agriculture include exposure to different types of hazards.
Physical hazards include noise, vibration, and extreme weather conditions (heat, excessive sunlight, and cold). Other physical hazards are mechanical and electrical safety hazards such as unguarded machines and poorly-maintained electric equipment.
Chemical hazards include handling pesticides and fertilizers.
Ergonomic hazards include carrying heavy loads, awkward postures and bending, overexertion, tripping, repetitive motions, and fast-paced work.
Biological hazards include exposure to zoonotic diseases, molds, dust, and unsanitary water.
The negative impact on children's physical, biological, and chemical levels also affects their psychosocial health, mainly mental health and well-being, which is also affected by stress, limited social support, abuse, and violence. All of the mentioned hazards affect the physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional growth and development of the children. Examples of possible health effects are dehydration, heat exhaustion poisoning, fungal infections, parasitic diseases, and fatal injuries.
Exposures differ between male and female working children in agriculture
Boys and girls are exposed to different working conditions, even within the same occupation of agriculture. Working conditions, risks, and hazards of boys and girls are different; specifically, girls are more disadvantaged. To illustrate, in farming, boys are usually responsible for operating machines, using sharp tools and equipment, or spraying pesticides. Consequently, boys are mainly at risk of amputation, wounds and burns, and poisoning. On the other hand, girls are usually in charge of carrying water, collecting and carrying wood, and the double burden of carrying out domestic chores and agricultural work. Consequently, girls are mainly at risk of fatigue, musculoskeletal disorders, and sexual abuse.
Children below the minimum age for employment should be removed from the job markets, and accordingly offered alternatives such as social services, schools, and therapy. Additionally to this, they must be protected through ensuring that children above the minimum age for employment are not exposed to work hazards by mitigating risks and enhancing occupational health and safety measures of the agricultural sector. Not to mention that of course proper occupational safety and health monitoring systems should be implemented in all job sectors.
Some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to child labour are SDG 8 target 7 and SDG 16 target 2. SDG 8 promotes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. In particular, target 7 of this goal asks to:
“Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms. “
SDG 16 promotes peace, justice, and strong institutions. In particular, target 2 of this goal asks to:
“End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence and torture against children.”
Nevertheless, with all the current social, economic, and health crises happening around the globe, the progress towards these targets is delayed. That is why now and while states and nations are working on their COVID-19 response and recovery plans, they must consider addressing and tackling child labor issues in their future response plans. After all, policymakers aim that 2021 is the International Year on the Elimination of Child Labour, and by 2025 all child labour forms are ended. Thus, no action should be put on hold. Instead, policymakers and actors, including UN member states and partners, should join forces towards the UN SDG goals and targets.