05/09/2006
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In a first, number of exploited children drops
In a cautiously optimistic report entitled “The end of child labour: Within reach,”
the International Labour Organization (ILO) has noted a significant decline over
the last four years in the number of children exploited for work.
Positive trend. The number of children forced to work fell by eleven percent between 2001 and
2004: 218 million as opposed to 246 million four years before. Juan Somavia, the
UN agency’s director general, also offered optimistic predictions for the elimination
of child labour within the next ten years. “We’re on the right track,” said Somavia.
“At this rate, we can reasonably expect to put an end to some of the worst forms
of abuse by 2016, without losing sight of the ultimate goal, which is to eliminate
all forms of child labour.” The number of children between the ages of five and
seventeen employed in dangerous jobs declined by 26 percent, from 171 million
to 126 million. For those between the ages of five and fourteen the rate declined
by 33 percent.
Highest rates in Africa and Asia. The positive trends reported by ILO are largely due to increased political will
among governments ready to take action against child labour, as well as greater
sensitivity and awareness of the problem. This increased commitment has been particularly
evident in poverty reduction and mass education along with direct intervention
by ILO, whose program to eliminate child labour has helped more than five million
children. According to the report, Latin America has shown the most dramatic improvement—child
labour in the region has been reduced by two thirds. In Brazil, for instance,
the five- to nine-year-old age group showed a decrease of 61 percent from 1992
to 2004; the ten- to seventeen-year-old age group showed a decrease of 36 percent
during the same period. Asia also registered a marked reduction even though the
region still leads the world for the number of children exploited for economic
gain in the five- to fourteen-year-old age group, around 122 million total. Sub-Saharan
Africa is the region with the highest ratio of child labour to child population,
around 26 percent. Factors like population growth, poverty, and HIV/AIDS have
severly limited progress in the struggle against child labour. But even here there
are signs of improvement, such as a 38 percent increase in school registrations
between 1990 and 2000.
The fight continues. “In this 21st century,” said ILO Director Juan Somavia “no child should be brutalized
by exploitation or be placed in hazardous work. No child should be denied access
to education. Let's keep up the momentum. Let's resolve to keep investing in the
struggle for the right of all children to their childhood.” ILO works mostly with
governments, employers, and workers’ organizations, but its activity also includes
NGOs, universities, and religious groups. Since its establishment in 1992, ILO
has invested 350 million dollars. The annual budget for the International Programme
on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) is approximately fifty to sixty million
dollars.
Positive trend. The number of children forced to work fell by eleven percent between 2001 and
2004: 218 million as opposed to 246 million four years before. Juan Somavia, the
UN agency’s director general, also offered optimistic predictions for the elimination
of child labour within the next ten years. “We’re on the right track,” said Somavia.
“At this rate, we can reasonably expect to put an end to some of the worst forms
of abuse by 2016, without losing sight of the ultimate goal, which is to eliminate
all forms of child labour.” The number of children between the ages of five and
seventeen employed in dangerous jobs declined by 26 percent, from 171 million
to 126 million. For those between the ages of five and fourteen the rate declined
by 33 percent.Highest rates in Africa and Asia. The positive trends reported by ILO are largely due to increased political will
among governments ready to take action against child labour, as well as greater
sensitivity and awareness of the problem. This increased commitment has been particularly
evident in poverty reduction and mass education along with direct intervention
by ILO, whose program to eliminate child labour has helped more than five million
children. According to the report, Latin America has shown the most dramatic improvement—child
labour in the region has been reduced by two thirds. In Brazil, for instance,
the five- to nine-year-old age group showed a decrease of 61 percent from 1992
to 2004; the ten- to seventeen-year-old age group showed a decrease of 36 percent
during the same period. Asia also registered a marked reduction even though the
region still leads the world for the number of children exploited for economic
gain in the five- to fourteen-year-old age group, around 122 million total. Sub-Saharan
Africa is the region with the highest ratio of child labour to child population,
around 26 percent. Factors like population growth, poverty, and HIV/AIDS have
severly limited progress in the struggle against child labour. But even here there
are signs of improvement, such as a 38 percent increase in school registrations
between 1990 and 2000.The fight continues. “In this 21st century,” said ILO Director Juan Somavia “no child should be brutalized
by exploitation or be placed in hazardous work. No child should be denied access
to education. Let's keep up the momentum. Let's resolve to keep investing in the
struggle for the right of all children to their childhood.” ILO works mostly with
governments, employers, and workers’ organizations, but its activity also includes
NGOs, universities, and religious groups. Since its establishment in 1992, ILO
has invested 350 million dollars. The annual budget for the International Programme
on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) is approximately fifty to sixty million
dollars.Luca Galassi
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