Child Labor

Although there are some forms of work that may be acceptable for children and within legal restrictions, child labor is often exploitative in many parts of the world. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines that a child must be protected from any economic exploitation and forms of work that interfere or are harmful to a child's education, health, and development. The International Labor Organization Convention 182 addresses what are called the "worst forms of child labor" emerging out of the general convention held in 1999, and the contents of this convention call for a prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.

Even with these regulations and laws, in 2007, child labor still exists in many exploitative forms. In my recent postings I have already covered one of them, namely children exploited in armed conflict (child soldiers). But there are more. As the weeks progress, I will continue to blog about child labor, among other things, more specifically.

Today I turn to the significant child labor problem in Ethiopia. About 60% of the children in Ethiopia work to supplement their family's income, according to the IRC, working in domestics, farm work, and mining. While child labor in Africa, particularly rural Africa, is viewed as a normal occurence, there is often a lack of distinction between moderate, excessive, and exploitative forms of work. Children are driven to labor by circumstances - poverty, death of family members, illness of family members, and ultimately to survive. The problem of child labor is a significant one but it is important to note that the solution is not simply to deal with the child labor issue alone. There must be more support given to these areas in order to decrease the circumstances that cannot help but push children into labor. Of course, the solution and support given to one area or country cannot be the same as another - they are each unique in their own ways.

For more information consult the following websites:

• The Convention on the Rights of the Child
  
• ILO Convention 182
  
• From the Bureau of International Affairs, on Ethiopia
  
• IRC News on Child Labor in Ethiopia