‘World Day Against Child Labor’ Calls Attention to Child Labor in Domestic Work

“No” to Child Labor in Domestic Work

With the International Labor Organization’s latest estimates suggest that over 215 million boys and girls throughout the world are involved in child labor, the observance of World Day Against Child Labor calls attention to child labor in domestic work.

In his remarks on “No” to Child Labor in Domestic Work in Washington DC, US Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States is proud to stand united with its partners in the international community on this World Day Against Child Labor, and with one voice.

“We call for the elimination of child labor.” – Secretary Kerry

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Child labourers, Macon, Georgia, 1909.

“No” to Child Labor in Domestic Work

According to Secretary Kerry, because domestic work is carried out largely behind closed doors, children are particularly vulnerable to hazardous and exploitative conditions and are often subject to sexual harassment, and mental and physical abuse.

However, he highlighted that the Department of State’s labor officers, based at foreign missions throughout the world, provide insightful reports from the field highlighting the plight of child laborers.

In addition, the U.S. Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report call attention to worldwide trends in child labor.

The US government also recognizes that engagement on the grassroots level by NGOs and civil society groups is essential and we applaud and support the efforts of these organizations.

The US calls on its partners in the international community to join them in fulfilling its collective commitment to these children by adopting national policies that eliminate child labor and create an environment that prevents the exploitation of children.

Children in situations of exploitative child labor are deprived education, and lack the opportunities to rise to their full potential and lift themselves, their families and their communities out of a cycle of poverty.

US has emphasized that it is essential to continue to strengthen efforts to abolish child labor to ensure that the world’s children remain free from exploitation.

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An eightyear old boy making his livelihood by showing a playful monkey in a running train in India in 2011.

Through its labor diplomacy efforts in diplomatic missions, as well as key partnerships at home and abroad, the Department of State will continue to promote labor rights, and develop and implement effective approaches to combat exploitative child labor.

Ten years ago, the United States became one of the first countries to ratify the International Labor Organization’s convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.

The United States remains committed to ending child exploitation – including child soldiering, child trafficking, and any work that harms the health, safety, or morals of children.

The US government asserts that the problem of child labor may be entrenched but it is also solvable.

Ending labor exploitation is US shared responsibility because the United States believes that every child born into this world deserves the opportunity to achieve his or her God-given potential.

On June 2011, the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a new report indicated that a child labourer suffers a work-related accident, illness or psychological trauma every minute.

ILO reported that although the overall number of children aged 5 to 17 in hazardous work declined between 2004 and 2008, child workers in the 15-to-17 age bracket rose by 20 per cent during the same period, from 52 million to 62 million.

The ILO Global Report on child labour warned in 2010 that efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour were slowing down and expressed concern that the global economic crisis could halt progress toward the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016.

The study noted that the problem of children in hazardous work is not confined to developing countries. Evidence from the United States and Europe also shows the high vulnerability of youth to workplace accidents.

The ILO report concluded that while there is a need to strengthen workplace safety and health for all workers, specific safeguards for adolescents between the minimum age of employment and the age of 18 are needed.

The measures need to be part of a comprehensive approach in which employer and worker organizations and labour departments have particularly critical role to play.

However, ILO pointed out that throughout the world, girls continue to be disadvantaged in many ways, including through discrimination, limited access to schooling, and traditional roles that still relegate certain forms of work to girls.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that approximately 100 million girls throughout the world are child laborers, often working in hazardous and exploitative conditions.

Mina Fabulous follows the news, especially what is going on in the US State Department. Mina turns State Department waffle into plain English. Mina Fabulous is the pen name of Carmen Avalino, the NewsBlaze production editor. When she isn’t preparing stories for NewsBlaze writers, she writes stories, but to separate her editing and writing identities, she uses the name given by her family and friends.