Pre-service Emerging Issues 2nd Year

Unit 67: Responding to Child Labour IssuesHuman RightsObjectives: By the end of this unit you will:• Discuss the causes and major challenges of child labour• Identify and recommend solutions to the various forms of child labourIntroduction: Essentially, the biggest challenge is whether child labour is socialisationor a form of abuse. In this unit we will look at how to overcome these issues.Article 3 of the ILO convention 182 states that the worst forms of child labour as anywork that comprises:• Slavery or practices similar to slavery• Trafficking or sale of child• Debt bondage (working to pay off a debt – that covers several generations)• Serfdom (usually bondage to land; where a person works the land owned bysomebody else for nothing more than food)• Forced labour• Commercial sex work/prostitution• Children used for illicit pornographic activities (films, videos)All of these can be summarised as work that is harmful to the health, morals or safety ofthe childActivity 1: The issue of child labour: Look at the table and copy it into yourassignment book. In the first column write the issues and then develop responses tocombat these issues and minimise or eliminate them.IssuesResponsesActivity 2: Effects of child labour: It is understood that child labour affects everyaspect of the child. Look at the table below and list the results of child labour in each ofthe sections shown.Physical growth and well-beingMental health and developmentSocial developmentSpiritual developmentConclusion: Protecting children from child labour is about protecting the future: it isabout care of our children. It is not about the destruction of authority or family; but itmust be remembered that authority and family have strong roles as duty-bearers to loveand protect the children themselves. Thus the two areas should reinforce one another:not be in conflict.15