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Urgent issues
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In the Asia-Pacific region, around 127 million children under 14 are at work each day.
Some of them are even receiving appropriate pay, working in safe
environments, balancing work with school and play, and given a say in
how their earnings are spent. But not many.
Why are children working?
Most of the children in the Asia-Pacific are working because they have
no choice. Their families are poor and they need the additional income.
Some are supporting themselves, orphaned by HIV/AIDS, abandoned or separated from their families.
The work that they do is often exhausting, dangerous or physically damaging.
Children work alongside adults in heavy agricultural labour. They work
long hours in confined spaces or factories. Their eyesight can be
affected by poor light and their breathing by unfiltered dust and
fibres.
Some children are even self-employed, but their
options are limited - shoe-shining, ragpicking, sorting through rubbish
dumps and begging.
When is it right for children to work?
The worst forms of child exploitation, such as slavery and bonded
labour, pornography, prostitution, and child soldiers, should not be
tolerated under any circumstances.
But there are other situations, usually linked to
poverty, where children's work makes an important contribution to their
household.
Sometimes, a child’s survival depends on the income. If the work stops, they and their family may become much worse off.
Some children see their job as their future trade, for instance gem
cutting or carpet weaving. They take pride in their work. In many
cases, they are working alongside their parents and siblings in a small
family business.
In these situations, it is best to improve the
child’s working conditions rather than prevent them from working. This
includes ensuring their rights are protected in the workplace, that
they are paid adequately and the money benefits them, and that working
does not endanger their health or place them at risk.
When is it wrong for children to work?
The International Labour Organization clearly identifies the industries
in which children should not work under any circumstances:
However there are other situations and reasons besides exploitation that make child labour a contentious issue.
Tolerating child labour can contribute to a community’s ongoing
poverty. For instance, in areas of high unemployment children may be
taking jobs away from adults, or by providing a cheap workforce,
reducing the chances for adults in the community to negotiate an
appropriate rate of pay.
No child should have to choose between work and
school. When children work instead of going to school, they miss out on
literacy and life skills that can improve their quality of life. If
they work instead of playing and exercising, their physical development
can be adversely affected.
All of these factors will make it harder for them as
adults to find well-paid jobs and earn enough to prevent their own
children from going to work.
To address this cycle, World Vision provides several
schools throughout Asia with working children in mind. The classes have
flexible hours and ages and everyone is welcome.
Attending class stimulates the children
intellectually and socially, as well as teaching them about their
rights and helping them to plan their futures. |
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