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ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES May 2005 ENDING ABUSIVE CHILD LABOR

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ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES May 2005 ENDING ABUSIVE CHILD LABOR ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES May 2005 ENDING ABUSIVE CHILD LABOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE / BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS The Bureau of International Information Programs of the U.S. Department of State publishes five electronic journals—Economic Perspectives, Global Issues, Issues ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES of Democracy, Foreign Policy Agenda, and Society & Values—that examine major issues facing the United States and the international community as well as U.S. Editor.........Jonathan Schaffer society, values, thought, and institutions. Each of the Managing Editor.................Kathryn McConnell Contributing Editors .........Berta Gomez five is catalogued by volume (the number of years in .................Kathleen Hug publication) and by number (the number of issues that ...........Martin Manning appear during the year). .................Bruce Odessey .................Andrzej Zwaniecki One new journal is published monthly in English and Illustrations Editor.................Barry Fitzgerald is followed two to four weeks later by versions in French, Cover Design.................Thaddeus Miksinski Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. Selected editions also appear in Arabic and Chinese. Publisher..................Judith S. Siegel Executive Editor......................Guy E. Olson The opinions expressed in the journals do not Production Manager.................Christian Larson necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Assistant Production Managers.........................Sylvia Scott government. The U.S. Department of State assumes no .........................Chloe Ellis responsibility for the content and continued accessibility of Internet sites to which the journals link; such responsibility resides solely with the publishers of those Editorial Board..................Alexander C. Feldman sites. Journal articles, photographs, and illustrations may ......................Francis B. Ward .................Kathleen R. Davis be reproduced and translated outside the United States ..........Marguerite P. England unless they carry explicit copyright restrictions, in which case permission must be sought from the copyright holders noted in the journal. The Bureau of International Information Programs maintains current and back issues in several electronic formats, as well as a list of upcoming journals, at http: //usinfo.state.gov/journals/journals.htm. Comments on Economic Perspectives are welcome at your local U.S. Embassy or at the editorial offices: Editor, Economic Perspectives IIP/T/ES U.S. Department of State 301 4th St. S.W. Washington, D.C. 20547 United States of America E-mail: [email protected] Economic Perspectives / May 2005 eJOURNAL USA ABOUT THIS ISSUE reating a safe and healthy world for our publication. We are also grateful to numerous groups children is as important a task as any that that have provided input and insight on an issue that Cexists. Yet millions of children around the requires the commitment of a broad coalition working world remain victims of poverty, illness, armed conflict, to rescue children from environments that are physically and exploitive and forced labor. dangerous and psychologically damaging. The child on our cover, photographed by writer/ In her introduction, Secretary Chao notes that director/cameraman Robin Romano, is pounding clay on June 12, 2005, countries around the world will into bricks in West Bengal, India. As part of a feature observe World Day Against Child Labor to recognize documentary called Stolen Childhoods, Romano portrays the commitments being taken by governments, child labor in eight countries and reports on programs nongovernmental organizations, and industry to to remove child laborers from work. “Brick kilns and eradicate the worst forms of child labor. This year there gravel quarries are a common sight in West Bengal, will be a special emphasis on eliminating child labor in Orissa, and the surrounding states of India,” Romano mining. Pilot projects developed by the International writes in a Web site, www.stolenchildhoods.org, Labor Organization (ILO) have demonstrated how describing his photos. “The children that work here are to eliminate child labor in mining and quarrying exploited 12-16 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 communities by helping these communities acquire days a year. Their world consists only of these mud legal rights, organize cooperatives or other productive holes, drying fields, kilns, rock piles, and grinders. At units, improve the health and safety and productivity night they sleep in the open or in makeshift shelter of adult workers, and secure such essential services as where sanitary conditions are nonexistent. There are schools, clean water, and sanitation systems. no schools here, and for many there isn’t even a family. We hope that this issue of Economic Perspectives, Over one-third of the children working at this kiln published by the Department of State, helps our and one-fourth of the children at the quarry have been interactive and print audiences to understand more shipped here from other areas, where their parents fully the plight faced by the young girl pictured on our have been forced to either sell them into slavery or are cover and the many efforts under way to help her and dependent on the meager wages that these children can the many thousands of children in situations like hers provide.” around the world. We examine this month some of the noteworthy initiatives under way to combat abusive child labor. The Editors The editors of Economic Perspectives wish to thank U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, the staff of the department’s International Child Labor Program, and the International Labor Organization (ILO) for their guidance and time in helping to produce this eJOURNAL USA Economic Perspectives / May 2005 ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE / MAY 2005 / VOLUME 10 / NUMBER 2 http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/journals.htm CONTENTS ENDING ABUSIVE CHILD LABOR 4 Introduction 14 Stemming the International Trafficking ELAINE L. CHAO, U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR of Children JOHN R. MILLER, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE 5 Ending Child Labor: A Global Priority SECRETARY OF STATE AND DIRECTOR OF STEVEN J. LAW, DEPUTY SECRETARY, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICE TO U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS Hundreds of millions of childhoods are wasted Countries must step up law enforcement to rescue away in mind-numbing subsistence-level labor child slaves and deter traffickers. that produces minimal economic value, while leaching away the creativity and learning Sidebar: Sanctions Against Human Traffickers potential of entire communities of future workers. 17 U.S. Legislative Initiatives to Stop Abusive Child Labor Sidebars: Education Initiative Grants; Winrock TOM HARKIN, U.S. SENATOR FROM IOWA International Education Initiative in Peru; Child Labor The U.S. Congress has taken actions to penalize in the Philippine Fishing Industry countries that engage in the worst forms of child labor and to rehabilitate the young victims of such 10 Eliminating Child Labor: A Moral practices. Cause and a Development Challenge JUAN SOMAVIA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, Sidebar: Combating Child Labor in Cocoa Growing INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION Denial and indifference have given way in recent years to acknowledgement, outrage, and a readiness to tackle the problem effectively. Sidebar: A Load Too Heavy: Children in Mining and Quarrying Economic Perspectives / May 2005 eJOURNAL USA 21 Understanding Child Labor: 29 Kids in Need: An NGO Solution Patterns, Types, and Causes CHRISTOPHER WAKIRAZA, DIRECTOR, KIDS IN NEED ERIC V. EDMONDS, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF Uganda’s Kids in Need program provides street ECONOMICS, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE children with shelter, counseling, education, medical An effective policy for ending child labor can be care, and basic needs. crafted only within the context of a country’s overall development strategy. 32 Addressing Child Labor: An Industry Approach Sidebar: Children and Armed Conflict: Key Facts ANDRE GORGEMANS, SECRETARY GENERAL, and Issues WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY CASE STUDIES Helping to stop international child labor is not just an issue for government. Industry must also take an 27 Child Labor in Brazil: active role. The Government Commitment PATRICK DEL VECCHIO, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ADDITIONAL READINGS LABOR OFFICER, SÃO PAULO The government of Brazil—with assistance from 35 Bibliography many partners—has a number of efforts under way to eradicate child labor in that country. 36 Internet Resources eJOURNAL USA Economic Perspectives / May 2005 INTRODUCTION une 12 marks the fourth annual World hours underground exposed to damaging Day Against Child Labor. This special day particles in the air and dangerous toxins. Some Jhas been set aside to help raise awareness youngsters are forced to handle explosives, of the millions of children around the world a dangerous and daunting task that requires who are forced to go to work instead of go to expert training and high skill levels for adults school. This day also offers hope by highlight- let alone children. ing the many programs and policies available This publication explores a broad range to end the worst forms of child labor and send of issues, from the causes of child labor to millions of child laborers back to the class- the actions being taken by governments to room. stop the traffi cking of children. It highlights As President George W. Bush has said: “All innovative approaches employed by countries fathers and mothers,
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