Combating a global scourge
Lebanon needs broad, coordinated action to end child labor, argues Nabil Watfa
Child labor afflicts over 160 million children worldwide, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO) — making it one of the most pressing human rights issues globally. Fortunately, the response of the international community to the phenomenon has been immense. The 96 year old ILO first addressed the problem with the adoption of the Minimum Age (Industry) Convention (No. 5) in 1919. This was followed by the adoption of the Minimum Age Convention (No. 138) in 1973; the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in 1998; and the Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention (No. 182) in 1999. In 1989, the United Nations also adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a global standard based on four main principles: nondiscrimination; the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Yet there is still much work to do.
WHAT IS CHILD LABOR?
Children engage in different types of work. If the work includes activities such as helping parents or assisting a family business, without interfering with the child’s schooling or undermining the child’s development, it should not be classified as child labor. On the contrary, engagement in such activities will contribute to the child’s development and the welfare of the family, and will provide the child with the skills and experience that are required to become a productive member of society.
However, if the work deprives children of their childhood, potential or right to dignity, or if it is harmful to their health, then it is deemed child labor. Examples of such work include activities which specifically interfere with school attendance, lead to dropping out of school and involve arduous, heavy work with long working hours. The severity and nature of child labor varies depending on the child’s age, type of work and the circumstances under which it is carried out. If child labor jeopardizes the physical, mental or social wellbeing of the child, it is referred to as ‘hazardous work.’ The priority for the international community is to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
The worst forms of child labor (WFCL), as addressed by the ILO Convention on the subject, refer to: similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage, serfdom, and forced and compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;