3071-The political economy of new slavery

Rachel Nizan 147
child labour due to the policies that were implemented under the
umbrella of globalization. 28 It should also be noted that the economic
situation did improve as of 1996, but that the rates of child labour,
nevertheless increased.
Furthermore, it is very difficult to gather information on children
working in the informal sector, in illegal activities or in rural areas.
The magnitude of the problem is shown with an estimated 49 per cent
of child labour taking place in the rural sector (Ministerio de Trabajo,
1998). Adding other informal sector work – for which statistics are
not yet readily available – this number would increase. 29 Green points
out that statistics show far more boys working than girls which is
an indication of the hidden character of girls’ work, both in the
house and in domestic service (Green, 1998, p. 33). The problem with
the hidden nature of children’s work is that it is not obvious and
society, the government and the labour unions therefore do not
readily act on it (Salazar, 2001, p. 173). But with the ratification of
ILO Convention 182 and the increase in children’s work following
the devastating consequences of Hurricane Mitch, there has been
a high level of political commitment to reduce child labour (Groves,
2003, p. 2). The increased sense of urgency to act on child labour
has also been influenced by the international attention the problem
has gained in the last few years, especially since the almost universal
ratification of the CRC.
Policy issues and legislation
As a result of growing importance of children’s rights, including protection
from the worst forms of child labour, on the international development
agenda, policies on child labour in different countries are
becoming more alike without completely eliminating local cultural differences.
An illustration of this argument in the context of child labour,
is given by both Crawford and White, who point out that the definition
of the worst forms of child labour and of harmful or hazardous work
given by Convention 182 leaves enough scope for countries to define it
according to their national laws and regulations (Crawford, 2000, p. 6;
White, 1999, p. 141).
The international policy instruments for combating child labour are
mainly to be found in the field of legislation. Legislation is a powerful
instrument for the elimination of child labour (Cuadrao, 1999, p. 100).
The most relevant parts of international law to implement through
legislation are ILO Convention 138, the CRC and ILO Convention 182.