Monday, February 2, 2015

41% of children in Africa aged 5 to 14 are involved in child labour.


 

Targeting the intolerable: A new international Convention to eliminate the worst forms of child labour
Facts and figures
on child labour
Facts and figures on child labour
The economic exploitation of children is an insult to humanity. All over
the world children continue to work, putting at stake their education,
their health, their normal development to adulthood, and even their lives.
Millions of them work under hazardous conditions which present dangers to
their health, safety and welfare. They toil in mines and quarries, are
exposed to agrochemicals in agriculture, squat in crippling positions to
weave rugs and carpets, and scavenge in rubbish tips. Too many are enslaved
in bonded labour, isolated in domestic service, and traumatized and abused
in the commercial sex trade.
According to ILO estimates, there are some
250 million children between the ages of 5 and14
years who are in economic activity in developing
countries alone. For 120 million of them, work is a
full-time activity. The remainder combine work with
schooling or other non-economic activities.
While most child labour is found in the developing
regions of the world, industrialized countries are not
entirely free of it either. In Eastern and Central
Europe, for example, child labour has been
reappearing in the wake of social and economic
dislocation caused by the transition to a market
economy.
In absolute terms, Asia, being the most densely
populated region of the world, has the largest number
of child workers. 61 per cent are found in Asia, 32 per
cent in Africa and 7 per cent in Latin America.
Distribution of economically
active children 5-14 years of age
in developing countries,
by regions and sex, 1995
Region Both
sexes
Boys Girls
World
(estimates in millions)
250 140 110
(%) (%) (%)
Africa 32 56 44
Asia (excluding Japan) 61 54 46
Latin America & Caribbean 7 67 33
Oceania (excluding Australia and
New Zealand)
0.2 57 43
Sex ratio (World) 100 56 44
Source: ILO Bureau of Statistics (Geneva, 1996)
0.5
Million
Oceania
153
Million
Asia
17
Million
Latin America
and Caribbean
80
Africa
Million
In relative terms, however, Africa comes first in the
proportion of children participating in economic
activity, with an estimated 41 per cent of the total
number of children aged between five and 14
compared to 22 per cent in Asia and 17 per cent in
Latin America.
Economic activity participation
rate of children five to 14 years
of age, by region and sex, 1995
Region Both
sexes
(%)
Boys
(%)
Girls
(%)
World (estimates in millions) 24.7 27.0 22.3
Africa 41.4 46.0 36.7
Asia (excluding Japan) 21.5 22.5 20.4
Latin America & Caribbean 16.5 21.8 11.1
Oceania (excluding Australia and
New Zealand)
29.3 32.7 25.8
Source: ILO Bureau of Statistics (Geneva, 1996)
More boys than girls work, close to an average ratio of
three boys to two girls. With 37 per cent, Africa has
the highest participation rate of girls among the
developing regions of the world. However, surveys do
not take into account domestic work in one’s own
household or caring for sick or disabled family
members. More girls than boys perform this type of
work – many of them between the ages of eight and
12. If such work were taken into account there would
be little or no variation between the sexes in the total
number of working children, and the number of girls
might even exceed that of boys. This type of work can
be as detrimental to children as that done outside the
home since it is reported to be the main reason for
about one-third of youngsters not attending school.
Household work also represents hazards, such as
danger from unsupervised cooking and caring for
siblings which can be far too great a responsibility for
a young child.
The relative level of the child workforce in any one
economic activity can vary widely from one country to
another. However, on the basis of data collected from
a number of countries, average levels can be estimated
for children working in different branches of
economic activity and in various occupations.
Latin America
and Caribbean
67%
33%
Working girls
Working boys
56%
44%
57%
43%
Africa
Oceania
Asia
54% 46%
Latin America
and Caribbean
Working children
Other children
Africa
Oceania
Asia
41.4%
21.5%
29.3%
16.5%
Economically
active children
in 26 developing
countries, by
industry and
gender (averages)
Industry Both
sexes
(%)
Boys
(%)
Girls
(%)
Agriculture, hunting, forestry and
fishing
70.4 68.9 75.3
Manufacturing 8.3 9.4 7.9
Wholesale and retail trade,
restaurants and hotels
8.3 10.4 5.0
Community, social and personal
services
6.5 4.7 8.9
Transport, storage and
communication
3.8 3.8 -
Construction 1.9 2.0 1.9
Mining and quarrying 0.9 1.0 0.9
Source: ILO Bureau of Statistics (Geneva, 1996)
The largest proportion of child workers is in economic
activities and occupations related to agriculture.
Although the average proportion of children in
agricultural activities and occupations is 70 to 74 per
cent, it can be as high as 90 to 95 per cent in some
countries. The percentage of girls in such activities is
higher than that of boys.
A large number of children suffer injuries or illnesses
from their work – representing more than 20 per cent
according to one recent large national survey. Some
stop work altogether due to work-related injuries
and/or illnesses or stop work temporarily, while a
large number continue to work in spite of their injuries
or illnesses, thus jeopardizing their development and
future ability to study or work.
Many children work long hours every day of the week.
Some survey results show that more than half the
working children toil for nine hours or more per day.
The majority of children report that their work is
stressful and that they are exhausted when they come
home from work. There are cases where up to fourfifths
of them work seven days a week including
public holidays, especially in rural communities; thus
they have no day off or free time. On average, girls
work longer hours than boys and are paid less than
their working brothers doing the same type of work.
Participation rates of children in economic activity are
on average twice as high in rural communities than in
urban centres. In addition, rural children, particularly
girls, tend to begin economic activity at an early age.
Survey results show that in some countries up to 20
per cent of economically active children in the rural
areas and around five per cent in urban areas are under
the age of 10 years.
A large majority, around 70 per cent, of child workers
are unpaid family workers, especially in rural areas
where working girls outnumber working boys. They
are engaged in domestic service, agriculture, home
work and small family enterprises, whether in rural or
urban areas.
More than four in five children work without pay.
Most of those working as paid employees are paid
much less than the prevailing rates in their localities,
even when compared with the legal minimum wages.
One survey found children receiving only one-sixth of
the minimum rate. Also, the younger the working
child, the lower is the wage payment. Generally,
children are not paid for overtime work although
many of them work additional hours and often are
required to do so when demand for various services
reaches its peak and/or when there are labour
shortages.
Copyright © International Labour Organization 1999
70.4% Agriculture, hunting,
forestry and fishing
8.3% Manufacturing
8.3% Wholesale and retail trade,
restaurants and hotels
6.5% Community, social
and personal services
3.8% Transport, storage
and communication
1.9% Construction
0.9% Mining and quarrying
Cover photos: Piccinelli, G. Palazzo, J. Maillard

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