One-hundred fifteen million of the world’s 215 million child laborers are working in hazardous conditions according to the United Nation's International Labor Organization, which is calling for immediate action to stop the practice.
An ILO report shows that a child laborer somewhere in the world is the victim of a work-related accident, illness or psychological trauma once every minute. The report cites studies from both industrialized and developing countries and shows that although the overall number of five to 7-year-old children in hazardous work declined between 2004 and 2008, the number aged 15 to 17-years-old increased by 20 percent during the same period, from 52 million to 62 million. It looks in detail at six economic sectors: crop agriculture, fishing, domestic service, mining and quarrying, and street and service industries.
Last year, the ILO’s global report on child labor warned that efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor were slowing down and expressed concern that the global economic crisis could “further brake” progress toward the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labor by 2016. The report seeks a renewed effort to ensure that all children are in education at least until the minimum age of employment and for countries to establish a hazardous work list as required by ILO child labor conventions.
The report also says that urgent action is needed to tackle hazardous work by children who have reached the minimum age but may be at risk in the workplace and calls for training and organizing such young workers so that they are aware of risks, rights and responsibilities in the workplace. Additionally, the report claims exposure to hazards can have a particularly severe impact on children, whose bodies and minds are still developing late into teenage years.
The study notes that the problem of children in hazardous work is not confined to developing countries. Evidence from the U.S. and Europe also point to a high vulnerability of youth to workplace accidents.
Other main findings include:
1. Children have higher rates of injury and death at work than adults, as shown by a range of research studies.
2. A substantial number of children experience long working hours that significantly increases the risk of injury.
3. The largest number of children in hazardous work is in Asia and the Pacific. However, the largest proportion of children in hazardous work relative to the overall number of children in the region is in sub-Saharan Africa.
4. Most of the decline in the total numbers of children in hazardous work is among girls.
5. Over 60 percent of children in hazardous work are boys.
6. Hazardous work is more commonly found in agriculture including fishing, forestry, livestock-herding and aquaculture in addition to subsistence and commercial farming. (WCxKit)
The ILO report concludes that while there is a need to strengthen workplace safety and health for all workers, specific safeguards for adolescents between the minimum age of employment and the age of 18 are needed. ILO says these measures need to be part of a comprehensive approach in which employer and worker organizations and the labor inspectorate have particularly critical parts to play.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: [email protected].
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