Table of Contents
Introduction
According to the United Nations (UN), anyone who is under the age of 18 is considered a child. Some other right organizations tried to define children as all those who are in between 5 and 17 ages. In fact, those are filling in between this range of ages the most vulnerable to violation concerning children rights, as who are permitted in the labor market.
The common definition of a child labor or whether the work itself is considered as child labor or not is depending on some issues such as the child’s age, type of work done, the number of hours engaged and the conditions in which the work is carried out. Based on these former conditions and definitions, a list of terms and cautions are stated by the International Labor Organization (ILO) which clarify the criteria of each type of work based on its appropriate age, how bad it is and whether or not is considered as light work.
Moreover, we always find that according to some definitions of education, the wealth word is often presenting. Hence, the expression is subliminally classified as one more authentic right of every child.
Child Labor
The Relationship between Conflict Cases and Child Labor
There is a direct relationship between disasters and child labor. In fact, this relationship is widespread, but more highlighted in Africa than any other Continent. The relationship states that the incidence of child labor in regions affected by armed conflict is 75% higher than those who are stabilized. In turn this affects the percentage of hazardous work in general.
The former statistics emphasizes the importance of prioritizing child labor within humanitarian actions, governments, organizations and humanitarian actors all have a critical role to play in this issue.
Characteristics and Sectors
Agriculture sector is the most popular sector for child labor, constituting more than 70% of all those in child labor. In this sector most of them are unpaid as they are participating in agriculture’s family’s duties. In fact, agriculture sector of children labor spreads out in most cases to include other related careers such as fishing and forestry.
Although agriculture sector is occupying the most percentage of all other sector concerning Child labor all over the world, there are much more sectors that accounting for child labor context. For example, service sector, industry and tourism sector.
A Better Understanding of the Problem Shape
One of the obstacles faces the vital understanding of the dilemma of children work lies in the inaccurate statistics concerning child labor, as a huge part of them follows an informal paradigm such as working in homes and in illegal duties. For a long time, this lack of tools of measurement were serious obstructions to its effective solutions. As the situation is quite a bit improved by the efforts of organizations concerned with this matter, we still need to be more accurate in specifying their exact work involves and how that subliminally affecting them.
One more study showed that child labor seems not to be confined to poor regions only, but also found in the most countries. For example, the international labor organization’s statistics indicate that about 3% of children in the teenagers age are economically active in developed countries. Although, the problem is not exclusive to poor countries, but still considerably impact in these developing regions.
Possible Contours of an Action Plan
During the last decade, widespread appeals has grown at all levels expressing the intentions of most societies for adopt the issue. Advocacy and action to combat child labor have also intensified in that period, including that by various human right organizations together with the tripartite constituents.
Now The question that clear is WHAT NEXT?
What can all organizations do to pull up children from the lost situations that besieges them from all sides. What can we do ourselves on the narrow field?
What can we do for the next several years to ensure that the next Global Report on this issue can proclaim the fulfillment of greater respect for the principle of the effective abolition of child labor?
The following are some of the critical means of action as outlines concerning the issue of child labor prevention:
- Advocacy.
- Research techniques.
- Abroad technical cooperation carried.
- Forging closer partnerships.
- Reinforcing the calls all over the world.
Conclusion
Although child labor rate is going in a steady declination average, but progress is also far too slow in general. At current rates, more than 100 million children will still be trapped in child labor by 2021, which constitutes a huge dilemma on the international economic field. Furthermore, the long-term negative consequences for the fulfillment of children’s rights guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In a result of some human right organizations, some countries have succeeded to pass over, while others are still struggling. The international Global Organization got a tremendous achievement whereas succeeded to help some communities in enforcing the value of the child right in all sides, which helped contribute to a reduction of child labor by about 25 % among boys and 40 % through girls since 2000.
We still need more efforts regarding some inspection regimes and even law systems, especially in informal economies where a tremendous amount of child labor percentage appears. Child labor has declined since 2000, but that decline slowed between in the last decade. In case of not increasing our efforts together, about 120 million children will still be engaged in child labor by the next five years, with at least 55 million of them in hazardous situations. We have to get the culture of preventing child labor as legislation cannot get rid of child labor phenomenon lonely, but at the same time, it won’t be possible to get rid of this phenomenon without effective legislation.
Strong awareness requires strong funding, while strong funding itself assure more achievements concerning the issue. In all cases that means much more children in formal education which reflects subliminally a cohesive community. We can all raise our voices on behalf of children concerning this critical issue. We can also let the backward societies know how critical this issue is.
Finally, it is a compulsory of each and every one of us in the community helping the institutions involved in this vital context. Together, we can success while allowing more children to find their authentic right of life.
References
- ILO and Walk Free Foundation: Global estimates of modern slavery: Forced labor and forced marriage (Geneva, International Labor Organization, 2017).
- International labor organization. 2016. Eliminating and preventing child labor.
- International labor conference 90th session. 2002. A future without child labor.
- The implications of these global challenges on policies in the child labor sphere are discussed in detail in the 2017 ILO World Report on Child Labor (forthcoming).