| Today one in eight children arent at school. Theyre | | | | labour rates in the world. This is only because there is |
| not skipping class, playing with their friends, or off | | | | free, compulsory education. For the poorest families |
| sick- these kids are already engaged in full time, adult | | | | exams, schoolbooks or transport, are also paid for- |
| employment. Perhaps making the T-shirt you are | | | | helping those too poor to take advantage of even |
| wearing, or stitching your next pair of trainers. In | | | | free schools. HARD SUMS Privatised education can |
| June 2002 the International Labour Organisations | | | | actually push children into hazardous employment. |
| report A Future without Child Labour revealed 350 | | | | Tanzania had an incredible 96% literacy rate in the |
| million children currently work. Only106 million of these | | | | late 1970s due to its compulsory education. Now the |
| do so in safe conditions for an acceptable amount of | | | | literacy rate is dropping at 2% because the country |
| time. The rest are employed in jobs, which can cost | | | | is paying twice as much in debts to rich countries as |
| them their health and happiness. Although the vast | | | | it spends on education. The IMF and World Bank |
| majority of children work as domestic, farm or fishing | | | | have pressured countries into reduce social spending |
| labourers, 5% of working children are employed in | | | | in their structural adjustment programmes and |
| the export sector. This is not many until you think | | | | education necessarily suffers. A case report by the |
| each of these children may live like Jitti, thirteen-year | | | | International Labour Organisation (ILO), showed |
| old Thai boy who told Free the Children he works | | | | almost 50% of children interviewed in a Tanzanian |
| 11-14 hours a day. Employed in a leather factory he | | | | mines were there to save money to pay their school |
| spends the whole day inhaling glue fumes, and earns | | | | fees. Economic institutions and richer countries need |
| just $45 a month with two days off. After paying a | | | | to cancel their debts and stop loans being contingent |
| middleman he has $29 to help his family and try to | | | | on reduced social spending to show their |
| survive. HAPPY FAMILIES? Many people believe | | | | commitment to end childrens misery. HELP! For |
| children work because their parents are cruel, | | | | individual children stipends or micro-credit schemes |
| uncaring or lazy. But the fact is many families cannot | | | | can help. Free the Children have a simple project |
| survive without the money their children earn. On | | | | helping children stay at school in India by buying cows |
| average working children bring in 20% of a families | | | | for women to milk as an alternative income. |
| income - which could be the difference between | | | | Educating and mobilising communities on Childrens |
| starvation and survival. The need for this money | | | | Rights also prevents exploitation. Supporting Trade |
| means children pulled out of jobs may just look for | | | | Unions can also prevent child labour. For children in the |
| work in less visible, more dangerous fields. Free the | | | | worst forms of labour, such as bonded labour and |
| Children, an international children's Ngo explain that in | | | | prostitution, only immediate removal and rehabilitation |
| 1993 a US bill was proposed to prevent garments | | | | is acceptable. For most children a short-term solution |
| made by children being imported into America. | | | | would be combining education and work. Perhaps the |
| Instead of protecting children it led to many | | | | most obvious answers would be to ensure the fare |
| Bangladeshi child workers being fired, faced with | | | | wages of adults. If this was achieved they could |
| destitution they were forced to turn to brick | | | | support their children without sending them out to |
| breaking and prostitution. Incredibly our gut reaction | | | | work Governments promise time and time again to |
| to boycott products can then create even more | | | | end child labour. But it is time for consumers to take |
| damage to children STICKING PLASTER SOLUTIONS | | | | action. As well as buying Fair Trade goods the ILO |
| Child labour is caused by a number of factors, | | | | recommends 1. Lobby your government to ratify and |
| although poverty is perceived as the overriding one, | | | | apply ILO Conventions to the letter. 2. Pressure your |
| opportunity and cultural perceptions also play their | | | | local authorities to enforce laws on education. 3. Urge |
| part. Working towards a long term solution needs the | | | | your trade union to take up the cause at home, or in |
| myths surrounding child labour to be exploded, and | | | | solidarity with unions abroad. 4. Urge your employers |
| the will created to protect the most vulnerable | | | | confederation to start relevant programmes. 5. Join |
| members of society. According to the ILO, The | | | | and support national or international non-governmental |
| struggle against child labour is first and foremost a | | | | organizations active in the field. 6. Help create or run |
| matter of changing attitudes People must be | | | | educational alternatives for working children. 7. Talk |
| convinced that child labour not only should be | | | | to children and parents to encourage them into |
| abolished, but can be abolished. Education is essential, | | | | alternatives. 8. Urge local, national and international |
| without it children become trapped in a cycle of low | | | | news media to raise awareness about child labour. 9. |
| paid work continuing into adulthood and forcing them | | | | Distribute IPEC and other anti-child labour |
| to send their own children out to work. Sometimes | | | | documentation. 10. Be an informed consumer and |
| they are so damaged by their work when they were | | | | traveller. |
| children, as adults they cannot work at all. In the | | | | Davinos Greeno works for the ethical directory which |
| Southern Indian state of Kerala, there is very little | | | | sells fairtrade shoes plus we have Ethical Company |
| child labour, despite India having the highest child | | | | Articles for you to read or publish. |