3071-The political economy of new slavery

138 Child Labour in Latin America
our understanding of childhood will determine how we think of the
relationship of children and work, and hence, how we perceive of
child labour. In this respect the chapter will briefly examine how the
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) emerged as a paradigm of
international human rights, focusing on the child as a subject of international
regulation within an international rights regime.
The second part of the chapter will assess child labour issues in more
detail. The complexity of the subject matter will be highlighted by
analyzing the reasons why children work and how our understanding
of child labour is formed and has shifted over time.
The third part will look at the case study of Honduras, which, due to
its endemic poverty, illustrates well one of the main reasons why children
work. After looking at the social issues, the relevant policies and
legislation in Honduras pertaining to child labour and children’s rights
will be evaluated. An appraisal of the interplay between international
and national legislation will be made, drawing out areas that conflict.
Here the shift in thinking on child labour will be analyzed and an assessment
will be made of the extent to which this shift has brought about
changes in policies as carried out by the different agents combating child
labour issues in Honduras – the state, international organizations and
NGOs – and how these have impacted on the actual number of working
children.
The concluding part points out the broad difficulties of implementing
policies and legislation on child labour in Honduras, what successes
have nevertheless been attained, and what remains to be done in order
for the worst forms of child labour not to persist. The conclusion also
engages with the question to what degree the persistence of child labour
is linked to the context of globalization and the changes this triggered
in the trade and labour environment, as well as a possible change in the
nature of poverty and what this means for child labour. Or whether
child labour is simply endemic to the region as a consequence of poverty
and a means of survival, keeping in mind that child labour is not a new
phenomenon.
The chapter takes the stance that, ideally, the causes leading to all
forms of child labour should be eliminated. Realizing that this is a longterm
and hard-to-achieve goal, the chapter agrees with Convention 182
that the worst or most unacceptable forms of child labour (including
slavery-like practices) should be eradicated, while working conditions
for the non-exploitative forms of work should be improved. Furthermore,
action should be taken to progress towards an ‘ideal’ situation,
where child labour will no longer be necessary.