What is Child Labour?
Child labour, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), refers to work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.
Difference between Child Labour and Child Work?
Child labour and child work are similar in that they both involve children performing work activities. However, there is a significant difference between the two concepts:
Child labour refers to work that is detrimental to a child’s physical and mental well-being, education, and development. It is generally considered to be work that deprives them of their basic rights.
On the other hand, child work refers to children’s participation in work activities that are not harmful to their health, education, or development. Child work can include activities such as helping with household chores, assisting family businesses, and performing tasks that contribute to their own personal development, such as attending school or learning a trade. Child work can be beneficial to children if it is performed in a safe and age-appropriate manner and does not interfere with their education, health, or development.
What is Hazardous Child Labour?
Hazardous child labour t is considered one of the worst forms of child labour and can take many forms, including:
- Work that exposes children to dangerous chemicals or substances, such as pesticides, lead, or asbestos.
- Work that involves heavy machinery, such as mining or construction, and that puts children at risk of injury or death.
- Work that involves exposure to extreme temperatures, such as working in hot or cold environments.
- Work that involves long hours or requires children to work at night.
- Work that involves exposure to violence or abuse, such as working in prostitution, or in armed conflict.
Children who engage in hazardous work are exposed to higher range of risks, including physical harm, mental stress, and emotional trauma.
What is Worst Forms of Child Labour?
The Worst Forms of Child Labour is a term used by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to describe the most extreme and harmful forms of child labour. These are defined as any form of work that is considered to be particularly harmful to a child’s health, safety, or moral development.
According to Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (Convention No. 182) was adopted by the ILO in 1999, the the worst forms of child labour comprises of:
- all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
- the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;
- the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties;
- work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.
Minimum Age of Work and Child Labour
The concept of minimum age for children’s employment and child labour revolves around protecting the rights of children by establishing a minimum age at which they can engage in employment and ensuring that the work they perform, if any, is appropriate for their age and does not interfere with their education, health, or development. Key aspects of the concept include:
- Minimum Age for Work: Countries establish laws or regulations that set a minimum age at which children can legally work. This age varies from country to country and is often determined based on factors such as the level of development of the country, the type of work, and the availability of education and social services. The International Labour Organization (ILO) sets international labour standards, including those related to minimum age for work, through conventions like the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) which is 15 years for developed countries and 14 years for under-developed countries. In Pakistan, the minimum age to work is different in different provinces.
- Types of Work: Even when children reach the minimum age for work, there are restrictions on the type of work they can undertake. Hazardous or exploitative work is typically prohibited for children under 18 years. Hazardous work includes activities that are physically, mentally, or morally dangerous and harmful to children, such as working with dangerous machinery, exposure to toxins, or involvement in illicit activities. Each province in Pakistan has outlined specific hazardous occupations and processes within its laws that regulate and prohibit the employment of children.
- Education and Development: Laws and policies often stress the significance of education, highlighting the necessity for children to attend school rather than pursue full-time employment. In Pakistan, the compulsory schooling age spans from 5 to 16 years, a range not entirely aligned with child labor laws. Due to this discrepancy, recommendations have been made for Pakistan to synchronise the minimum age of admission to employment with the education laws, setting it at 16 years of age.