The International Labour Organisation (ILO), along with its member countries, observes June 12 as the World Day Against Child Labour. Launched in 2002, the day aims to acknowledge the plight of children forced to work in extreme conditions and simultaneously call for action. The year 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of Convention No. 182. The first major step towards a global consensus on eradicating child labour, Convention No. 182 requires member states to take immediate, effective, and time-bound steps to end the worst forms of child labour.
What is child labour?
A work transgresses into child labour when someone below the age of 18 is hired in environments that are physically or mentally harmful, thus depriving them of their childhood. Poverty, social inequality, disasters, trafficking, and internal conflicts in a country are among the major factors that lead to the increase of child labour.
Children who are forced into child labour are subjected to abuse, sexual exploitation, and discrimination, and would have to compromise on their basic rights and education.
According to 'Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward' published by ILO and UNICEF in 2021, there are 169 million child labourers in the world. Covid-19 has further aggravated the situation, putting nine million more at risk.
Laws against child labour
Laws on child labour vary across countries. Two important laws of the ILO that have been adopted and ratified by a majority of the countries are:
Convention No. 138 that sets the minimum age of work as not below the age of compulsory schooling and, in any case, not less than 15 years. Exceptions have been provided for developing countries.
Convention No. 182 which prohibits hazardous work that is likely to jeopardise the physical, mental, or moral health of those below 18 years. This was the first ILO convention to be universally ratified.
The worst-affected countries
As per UNICEF data records, one in four children is engaged in harmful work in the poorest countries. African countries have the highest percentage of child labourers, while Asian and South American countries lead in numbers.
Here is a list of the countries with the worst cases of child labour as per the 2020 Maplecroft index.
Verisk Maplecroft is a global risk analytics company that collects and analyses data on climate, economic, political and social issues for organisations and MNCs. Maplecroft creates indices following global frameworks and regulations set by the United Nations.
1. Somalia
This East African nation has 49 per cent of its child population working as labourers. One significant factor contributing to this startling figure is recruitment into the security and insurgent forces. Constant conflicts, severe droughts, and dire poverty drive the children to seek work. Although Somalia's minimum working age complies with ILO criteria, it has not been successfully enforced.
2. North Korea
The North Korean government has been receiving criticism worldwide for child rights violations. According to UNICEF sources, the country forces students below the age of 18 to work on farms, at construction sites, and with paramilitary brigades. Research by NGOs like Human Rights Watch says the absence of students meeting the required quota leads to penalties.
3. Eritrea
In Eritrea, children are forced to participate in military activities to combat militancy. The country doesn’t take criminal action against child prostitution or child pornography, as per the US government’s labour department. In 2019, Eritrea became the 185th country to ratify the ILO's Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No. 182).
4. South Sudan
Children are constantly recruited by militant groups as child soldiers, cleaners, or cooks in South Sudan. There is no proper report on these numbers. These children are also subjected to sexual violence. Despite the government ratifying laws to protect child rights, they continue forced recruitment. UNICEF has facilitated the release of 3,677 children in South Sudan since 2015. Cattle herding and construction are the other forms of labour that are forced upon the children.
5. Guinea Bissau
A national survey showed more than 1,69,200 child labourers in Guinea-Bissau. These kids are pushed into forced begging, farming, cashew harvesting, fishing, construction, and street work. Key international conventions of the ILO and UNCRC have been ratified by the country. There are also laws within the country to mitigate child labour, but much progress has not been made.
6. Venezuela
Venezuela has been in an economic crisis since 2014, due to which many children have been forced to take up work. Political and civil tensions have worsened the situation in the country. This Latin American country is one of the top recruiters of child soldiers. Two years of military training by the age of 17 have been made compulsory by the ministry of education. Colombian armed political groups have also been recruiting children from Venezuela. Children are hired to do mining, begging, farming, and domestic work from a very young age.
7. Chad
The Republic of Chad is a landlocked African country with climate change affecting food security. Thirty-nine per cent of its child population are working, mostly in harsh settings. Recruitment to non-state armed groups, agriculture, brick-making, scavenging, and mining are the major sectors where children are employed. Social programmes through government funding haven’t reached rural areas as desired.
8. Syria
The ongoing civil war in Syria is pushing more and more children to seek work. The war has led to the displacement of families, an increasing economic crisis, and the devastation of buildings. The 2023 earthquakes also had a severe impact on people in Syria. According to UNICEF, 7.5 billion children will require humanitarian assistance this year.
9. Mozambique
In a country where 56 per cent of the population are children, 22.5 per cent of those below the age of 14 are child labourers. Cotton, cashew, and tobacco production, mining, and fishing are the major areas were children are employed. As per US government records, children from rural areas are lured into the city with false promises and later forced to work.
10. Central African Republic
Data collected by UNICEF in 2020 shows that 31 per cent of Central African children between 5 and 17 are working. Despite laws preventing child labour for children below 14, they are employed in diamond fields, mines, and farms. A large number of young children are also recruited as child soldiers by militant groups. These numbers have gone up since the 2012 civil war between the government and rebel groups.
How is the situation in India?
India is not far behind in facilitating this practice. In fact, it has one of the highest numbers of child labourers, with more than ten million as per the 2011 census. This accounts for 3.9 per cent of India’s child population. An analysis of the 2001 and 2011 censuses shows a decrease in the number of child labourers in rural areas and an increase in urban areas.
