CHILDLABOUR

CHILD LABOUR

Child labour

refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour.This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and isillegal in many countries. Child labour was utilized to varying extents throughmost of history.In many developed countries, it is considered inappropriate or exploitative if achild below a certain age works (excluding household chores or school-relatedwork). An employer is usually not permitted to hire a child below a certainminimum age. This minimum age depends on the country and the type of work involved. States ratifying theMinimum Age Convention adopted by the

International Labour Organization in 1973, have adopted minimum ages varyingfrom 14 to 16.

Forms of child labour

Child labour exists in many forms. Sometimes it can be easilyobserved; sometimes it is hidden from your view. Here is a listof different forms of child labour that includes some of the mostwidespread forms and some of the worst forms. However, this is not acomplete list of all existing forms.Domestic work: Very common and sometimes seen as acceptable,it happens in the family home or outside the home. When domesticwork is outside the home, children ± almost always girls ± work verylong hours, have no chance to go to school and are isolated from their family and friends.Agricultural work: A lot of working children are found in agriculture.They often work on the family farm or with the whole family, as a unit,for an employer.Work in industries: This work can be regular or casual, legal or illegal, as part of the family or by the child on his own for an employer.It includes carpet weaving, gemstone polishing, making garments,chemicals, glassware, fireworks, matches or a range of other products. These tasks expose the children to hazardous chemicalsthat can lead to poisoning, respiratory and skin diseases, radiant heat,fire and explosions, eyesight and hearing damage cuts, burns andeven death.Work in mines and quarries: Child labour is used in smallscale

mines in many countries. They work long hours withoutadequate protection and training. Child miners suffer from physicalstrain,fatigue and disorders of the muscular and skeletal systems.Slavery and forced labour: It is most commonly found in rural areas.It is also frequently linked to the oppression of ethnic minorities andindigenous peoples. Children are often also drawn into armed conflict,forced to be soldiers or to work for armed forces.Prostitution and child trafficking: It is one of the worst forms of child labour. The dangers faced by children are extreme and rangefrom moral corruption to sexually transmitted diseases to death.Work in the informal economy: This includes a whole range of activities such as shoe cleaning, begging, pulling rickshaws, sellingnewspapers, or collecting rubbish. Some forms are very easilyobserved while others are hidden from public view. Activities often

take place on the streets but also include domestic work.According toUNICEF, there are an estimated 158 million children aged 5 to 14 inchild labour worldwide,

Child labour is common in some parts of the world, it can be factory work, mining, prostitution, quarrying, agriculture, helping in the parents' business, having one'sown small business (for example selling food), or doing odd jobs. Some childrenwork as guides for tourists, sometimes combined with bringing in business for shops and restaurants (where they may also work as waiters). Other children areforced to do tedious and repetitive jobs such as: assembling boxes, polishing shoes,stocking a store's products, or cleaning. However, rather than in factoriesand sweatshops, most child labour occurs in the informal sector.