CHILD PROTECTION ADVOCACY BRIEF
Child Labour
Dana, 7, attends school in Mafraq, Jordan, where UNICEF’s Hajati cash grant programme aims to reduce families’ reliance on negative coping mechanisms including child labour and early marriage and help Syrian refugee children stay in school. © UNICEF/UN0221868/RICH
Child labour1 deprives children of their found that adult job loss had a sizeable In its worst forms, childhood and their future. Unlike activities that effect on the likelihood of children dropping child labour can help a child to develop, such as contributing to out of education and taking up work. housework for a few hours a week or taking result in slavery, on a job during school holidays, child labour Globally, nearly one in ten children are subject sexual as well interferes with schooling and is harmful to a to child labour, which rises to nearly one in as economic child’s physical, mental, social and/or every five children in Africa. In its moral development. Child labor worst forms, child labour can result exploitation represents in slavery, sexual and economic and death. Economic vulnerability associated exploitation, and death. with poverty, risks and shocks multiple plays a key role in driving children cycles of An estimated 250 million children Without specific, into work, and is both a cause live in countries or areas affected poverty targeted action and a consequence of poverty, by conflict. The incidence of child reinforcing social inequality and and abuse... labour in countries affected by against child labour, discrimination. Studies in Togo and armed conflict is 77 per cent the future of the 1.2 Zambia show that households can respond higher than global averages, and incidence of billion adolescents4 2 3 to health shocks, such as the sudden illness hazardous work is 50 per cent higher. in the world will of caregivers or primary wage earners, by sending children to work. This suggests that In 2008–2012, child labour decreased by just be vulnerable to child labour acts as a buffer or insurance 1 per cent, and progress made in reducing reinforcing cycles against the impact of health-related labour of girls was 50 per cent less than of of intergenerational shocks to the household. A study looking boys. At current rates of progress, 121 million poverty and specifically at unemployment in urban Brazil children will still be in child labour in 2025, exploitation. 1 International Labour Office (ILO) Convention No. 182 - Worst Forms of Child Labour; ILO Convention No. 138 - Minimal Age for Admission to Employment and Work; ILO 189 - Domestic Work, Slavery Conventions of 1926 and 1956,
1 CHILD PROTECTION ADVOCACY BRIEF ■ CHILD LABOUR 2018/002 Towards 2030 - Sustainable Development Goals UNICEF impact Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 builds on Article 32 of the Convention In 2017, UNICEF supported the Ministry of on the Rights of the Child, which requires governments to protect children from Defence (MOD) in Somalia to screen soldiers harmful and exploitative work. SDG 8 underpins the commitment to eliminate child as a strategy to prevent recruitment of children labour with a key focus on the promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic by armed forces and armed groups and to growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all by 2030. facilitate release of any found to be recruited. Prevention mechanisms were bolstered when SDG Target 8.7 calls for States to “take immediate and effective measures to […] secure the prohibition the MOD signed and disseminated a command and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by order to stop the recruitment of children by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.” This Target is linked to several other targets and SDGs, including the Somali National Army and enhanced Target 16.2 aimed at ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture the capacity of the National Intelligence and of children, SDG 1 on poverty, SDG 4 on Education and SDG 5 on ending all forms of violence against Security Agency officers to screen children women and girls, including harmful practices such as child marriage, and achieving gender equality. released from Al-Shabab. of whom 52 million will be As of 2017, around 30 UNICEF’s in hazardous work. Without Challenges million children were specific investments and Child labour is both a living outside their integrated, interventions to eliminate cause and a consequence country of birth. This innovative child labour, it will continue of poverty, reinforcing group moved for a range of this unacceptable upward social inequality and reasons, including to join and evidence- trajectory.5 discrimination, denying family members, pursue children productive futures educational opportunities – based Child labour represents and undermining the or flee conflict, violence or approach multiple cycles of poverty well-being of both the persecution.10 When they and abuse, and ending this state and the individual. migrate alone, children UNICEF promotes an practice requires concerted Evidence has demonstrated can be forced into labour, integrated approach action on all fronts: removal that child labour actively including hazardous to eliminating child of children already in child undermines education,7 labour, and are at risk of labour, which includes labour and their return to health,8 including progress being trafficked for sexual strengthening parenting school or training, equal against HIV/AIDS;9 and exploitation and other work. initiatives and addressing educational opportunities for subsequently hinders the Without specific investment harmful social norms that girls, freedom from sexual ability of children and their and interventions to prevent perpetuate child labour, in exploitation, support to families to benefit from child labour in countries addition to strengthening parents, and comprehensive opportunities for social and affected by armed conflict, legal, social support and and disaggregated data economic development. it will continue to remain reporting systems to curtail to make children and their higher than global averages it. These systems seek to circumstances more visible. For girls, more so than or even increase. increase access to quality The private sector must boys, the ‘triple burden’ of education and reinforce address and prevent child school, work and household At the current pace of poverty reduction strategies, labour in their supply chains chores is a reality that often progress, 121 million including comprehensive (production, distribution undermines achievement children will still in child social protection that goes and retail of products and and access to quality labour in 2025, of which beyond cash transfers and services) and governments education and economic 52 million will be in provides social service must increase the availability success, which further hazardous work.11 support to keep children of decent work.6 diminishes their social safe and with their families. status and access to rights.
5 ILO Global Estimates of Child Labour Geneva 2017. 8 World Health Organization (WHO) Children’s environmental health
2 CHILD PROTECTION ADVOCACY BRIEF ■ CHILD LABOUR 2018/002 UNICEF’S THREE PRIORITIES the Code of Conduct for the Protection and end child labour with UNICEF ARE INCREASING COLLECTION of Children from Sexual Exploitation in support, which includes a child labour OF DATA; BOLSTERING THE Travel and Tourism12 legislation and child social and behaviour change strategy for SOCIAL SERVICE WORKFORCE; rights instruments. seven districts spanning over 44 blocks AND PREVENTING VIOLENCE, EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE in the state of Bihar. UNICEF’s support In India, 12 states developed a child on a child-tracking system for children UNICEF plays a key role in collecting labour plan of action, and eight have rescued from labour is fully operational and developing new methodologies scaled up their programmes to prevent across all 38 districts of the state. to make child labour visible, as joint custodian with the International Labour Organization (ILO) of the SDG indicators concerning child labour. UNICEF’s work on the worst forms of child labour emphasizes the core role of the social service workforce in preventing, responding to and removing children from child labour. Strengthening the reach, calibre and funding of the social service workforce is crucial to effective intervention by those who are at the frontline against child labour.
UNICEF’s efforts to eliminate child labour is reinforced by its work in establishing legal identity at birth to determine when children are too young to work, in addition to collaboration with the private sector to prevent and mitigate child labour in supply chains.
UNICEF works closely with national and local governments to support development and implementation of comprehensive strategies to address child labour. In Guinea Bissau, UNICEF advocated with the Ministers of Tourism and of Women, Family and Social Affairs to implement the 2016 Code of Conduct against sexual exploitation of children, one of the worst forms of child labour, in the tourism and travel industry, and supported their work on a joint Action © V UNICEF/UN0209687/GILBERTSON Plan for implementation. Additionally, the Djibrill, 11, plays checkers at a UN ‘hostel’ for migrants in Agadez, Niger, a town infamous as the last way station for people Government reinforced the regulation to being smuggled to Europe, or Algeria and Libya where many end up having to beg for a living. ban access of children and adolescents to inappropriate entertainment place. UNICEF works closely with national and local Further, tourism inspectors from all nine governments to support development and implementation country regions were given training on of comprehensive strategies to address child labour 12 The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism,
3 CHILD PROTECTION ADVOCACY BRIEF ■ CHILD LABOUR 2018/002 Key Asks UNICEF CALLS FOR ACTION TO ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR:
Make children visible. Governments 1 must invest in collecting new and better data on child labour and include: children under ten or those living in institutions, children on the move and those living outside of households - on the street, in emergencies, or hidden in the worst forms of child labour, such as sexual exploitation and domestic labour. UNICEF and ILO are building the evidence base on child labour by harmonizing databases to develop new shared global estimates that capture the work of the most vulnerable – particularly the often hidden labour of girls and children recruited by armed forces and armed groups. Comprehensive data will make child labour visible and its elimination possible.
Include child labourers in social © UNICEF/UN0222660/ EL BABA 2 protection initiatives and Moussa, 17, learnt to be a mechanic at the vocational training course he was referred to after having to drop out of school in programmes, in addition to the State of Palestine. supporting decent work for adults. National governments should design and provide economic and gender empowerment in vulnerable gaps due to child labour in their education, which employment opportunities for adults. Where not communities through social saving groups and include curriculum, teachers and funding. They possible, state-sponsored social protection cooperatives; enhanced family and community must also ensure that informal qualifications and initiatives should specifically target child labourers security; and the understanding and disruption of standards gained are recognized by formal and their families, who are particularly vulnerable harmful coping mechanisms, social norms and education systems. National governments must to abuse and exploitation, to prevent child labour. practices associated with child labour. remove fees and other obstacles from notionally In 2016, 31 UNICEF country offices directly In 2016, ten UNICEF country offices supported free state education. supported service delivery initiatives, improving specific advocacy and awareness-raising In Bangladesh and Pakistan, UNICEF’s access to informal and formal education and activities to change social norms that perpetuate key focus on preventing and addressing strengthening better detection mechanisms for and reinforce child labour. In the Syrian Arab the drivers of child labour led to progress child labour. In Bangladesh, collaborative multi- Republic, awareness messages for parents, with out-of-school children; more targeted sectoral efforts reached over 28,500 children employers and children were promoted through and effective programming and service with a package of social protection services, national counterparts, non-governmental provision, particularly in rural areas; and including early identification, registration, and organization (NGO) partners and the media. focused work with key groups such as local interim rehabilitation and referral services. In More than 24,700 Facebook users engaged in informal Koranic providers and teachers. The Nepal, improved case management systems an online debate about child labour and more recognition of accelerated education and across ten municipalities contributed to the than 13,000 children and 4,000 caregivers were equivalence programmes supported child removal from child labour of over 1,900 children reached with information on child labour risks. labourers with educational opportunities to (50 per cent girls), of whom 71 per cent were catch up with their peers. provided with educational support. Make education accessible and 4 responsive to the needs of child Change social norms and enable labourers. Most out-of-school children FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 3 empowered communities. – currently more than 260 million13 – are engaged Governments and community-based in some form of work activity. For those in school, organizations (CBOs) should design and implement involvement in work makes them more Aniruddha Kulkarni parenting and community education initiatives to susceptible to premature drop-out. Governments, Child Protection Specialist change harmful social norms that support and civil society and CBOs must invest in and organize ankulkarni@unicef.org perpetuate child labour. They must bolster additional programmes to enable children to meet www.unicef.org 13 Global Partnership for Education (GPE), More than 260 million, 2016
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