In-Depth Analysis of Child Labour and Education in Costa Rica
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Copyright © International Labour Organization 2004 First published, 2004 Public ations of the International Labour Offic e enjoy c opyright under protoc ol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short exc erpts from them may be reproduc ed without authorization, on c ondition that the sourc e is indic ated. For rights of reproduc tion or translation, applic ation should be made to the Public ations Bureau (Rights and Permissions). International Labour Offic e, CH-1211, Geneva 22, Switzerland. The ILO welc omes suc h applic ations. ILO - IPEC In-depth analysis of c hild labour and educ ation in Costa Ric a. San José, Costa Ric a, International Labour Offic e, 2004. Child labour, Ec onomic c onditions, Soc ial c onditions, Educ ation, Costa Ric a 14.02.2 ISBN: Web version: 92-2-116162-5 The designations employed, whic h are in c onformity with United Nations prac tic e, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Offic e c onc erning the legal status of any c ountry, area or territory or of its authorities, or c onc erning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed artic les, studies and other c ontributions rests solely with their authors, and public ation does not c onstitute an endorsement by the ILO of the opinions expressed in them. Referenc e to names of firms, c ommerc ial produc ts and proc esses does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Offic e, and any failure to mention a partic ular firm, c ommerc ial produc t or proc ess is not a sign of disapproval. Visit the ILO web sites: www.ilo.org, www.ipec .oit.or.c r and www.oit.or.c r Edition International Labour Offic e (ILO) International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) Statistic al Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC) General Coordination and Supervision Angela Martins Oliveira International Labour Offic e (ILO) International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) Statistic al Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC) National Technical Coordination Elizabeth Solano Salazar Coordinator, Area of Censuses and Surveys National Institute of Statistic s and Censuses (INEC) Report prepared by* Ana Luc ía Calderón Saravia *In the analysis of Chapter 2, Carlos Castro Valverde also ac ted as a c onsultant Technical assistance and review Elizabeth Solano Salazar, Coordinator, Area of Censuses and Surveys, INEC Esmirna Sánc hez Vargas, Head, Offic e of Attention and Elimination of Child Labour and Protec tion of Adolesc ent Workers, MTSS Angela Martins Oliveira, Senior Statistic ian, ILO/ IPEC-SIMPOC Astrid Marsc hatz, Data Analysis Expert, ILO/ IPEC-SIMPOC María Luisa Rodríguez, Coordinator, Time-Bound Programme in Costa Ric a, ILO/ IPEC The partial or total reproduc tion of the material published here is allowed as long as the data are not altered and the c orresponding c redit is given. Funding for this ILO public ation was provided by the United States Department of Labor. This public ation does not nec essarily reflec t the views or polic ies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, c ommerc ial produc ts, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government. ii National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Instituto Nac ional d e Estad ístic a y Censos, INEC) Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Ministerio d e Trabajo y Segurid ad Soc ial, MTSS) Statistical Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC) International Programme on the Eradication of Child Labour (IPEC) International Labour Office (ILO) In-depth analysis of child labour and education in Costa Rica Prepared by*: Ana Luc ía Cald erón Saravia *In the analysis of Chapter 2, Carlos Castro Valverde also ac ted as a c onsultant. July 2004 iii FOREWORD The International Labour Organization, working through the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), has turned the progressive prevention and abolition of c hildren’s work into a universal c ause. At the global level, c hildren’s work is a broad, c omplex and multi-fac eted issue. In the absenc e of reliable information and qualitative and quantitative studies, however, it is diffic ult to find effec tive ways to address the problem. For many years, a lac k of data regarding the c auses, magnitude, nature and c onsequenc es of c hildren’s work has signific antly impeded efforts to effec tively fac e, halt and eliminate the problem, whic h affec ts millions of boys and girls around the world. Sinc e 1998, the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour has administered the Statistic al Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC). The purpose of the Programme is to assist partic ipating c ountries c ollec t data on c hildren’s work for c omparison among themselves. The overall objec tive of SIMPOC is to use household surveys to generate quantitative data on sc hool ac tivities, as well as other ec onomic and non-ec onomic ac tivities in whic h c hildren are engaged outside of sc hool. The programme also aims to c ollec t qualitative information and c reate databases on c hildren’s work. The information gathered by SIMPOC has served as the basis for a number of studies in partic ipating c ountries. The c ollec tion and analysis of reliable data supports the development of effec tive ac tions against c hildren’s work. It is hoped that the information gathered in different c ountries, and the studies based on that information, will fac ilitate the development, implementation and follow-up of polic ies and programmes to c ombat c hildren’s work. It should also promote soc ial attitudes that favour the sustainable prevention and progressive elimination of c hildren’s work. I am c ertain that the information presented in this report on c hildren’s work in Costa Ric a will c ontribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon, inc rease sensitivity to the plight of working boys and girls, and make it possible to develop better strategies to fight the problem. The ability of eac h partic ipating c ountry to form an inc reasingly ac c urate pic ture of c hildren’s work undoubtedly points toward the development of a more effec tive proc ess and a shorter path toward a world without c hild labour. Guillermo Dema Subregional Coordinator ILO/ IPEC for Central Americ a, Panama, The Dominic an Republic , Haiti and Mexic o iv PREFACE Child and adolesc ent work has existed in Costa Ric a for many years. Our forefathers inc luded boys, girls and adolesc ents in farm labour and housework. Over the last few years, however, what was onc e c onsidered a tradition has bec ome a soc ial problem. Our c ountry’ s girls and boys have joined the work forc e in large numbers, and have c onsequently bec ome vic tims of exploitative c onditions that limit both their ac c ess to educ ation and the enjoyment of their rights. To address this situation, the c ountry must develop a national polic y to effec tively abolish c hild labour, and take the immediate steps nec essary to put an end to the abuses suffered by girls and boys whose work puts their health, safety and moral integrity at risk. Girls and boys must also be guaranteed the highest possible level of physic al and mental development. A number of efforts to gradually eliminate c hild labour have therefore been undertaken. As a result of these endeavours, c hild labour has c ome to be viewed as a problem rather than a solution, and as suc h has been given a plac e on the c ountry’ s politic al agenda. As part of these initiatives, the Ministry of Labour and Soc ial Sec urity and the National Institute of Statistic s and Censuses, ac ting with the tec hnic al support of ILO IPEC, have implemented the Statistic al Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC). This programme provides updated statistic s on the magnitude of c hild labour in Costa Ric a, as well as information on the geographic areas and oc c upations that hold the highest perc entages of working girls and boys. Suc h information fac ilitates the development of strategies to effec tively address the problem. The doc uments produc ed by SIMPOC also serve to supplement the sec ond National Plan to Eliminate Child Labour and Protec t Adolesc ent Workers. It is our hope that the information obtained through this programme will be of use to those who, in a variety of ways, have bec ome our partners and c olleagues in the struggle to eliminate c hild labour. Lic . Ovidio Pac hec o Salazar Camac ho Lic . José Antonio Calvo Minister Direc tor Ministry of Labour and Soc ial Sec urity National Institute of Statistic s and Censuses v TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................VIII 1. COSTA RICA’S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT, A SCENARIO FOR CHILDREN’S WORK... 1 1.1 THE POPULATION ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 POPULATION' S SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION ................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Employed p op ula tion, poverty levels, a nd inc ome .................................................... 3 1.3 LITERACY........................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 POPULATION' S ACCESS TO BASIC SERVICES....................................................................................... 6 2. THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN COSTA RICA ........................................................................................ 8 2.1 LEGISLATION THAT REGULATES PUBLIC EDUCATION ............................................................................