UN says more than 115m kids do dangerous jobs
MORE than 115 million of the world's children and young teenagers, or more than 7 percent of the total, are engaged in dangerous and life-threatening jobs, the International Labour Organisation has said.
The United Nations agency, which sets standards for employment around the globe, said in a report the industries involved ranged from mining and metalworking through farming and shoe-making to flower-growing and the banana industry.
In a linked statement, a UN investigator said child labour was in great demand by employers because it was cheap "and because children are naturally more docile, easier to discipline than adults, and too frightened to complain".
The statement and the report were issued to mark United Nations World Day against Child Labour which falls on Sunday.
The labour body, which defines children as anyone up to the age of 18, said the total number of young people in hazardous jobs was well over half of those known to be working - the overwhelming majority in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Extreme poverty drives practically all of them to take up both physically and psychologically dangerous jobs.
Many, as young as 5, were employed in such work although the numbers of small children involved has declined in recent years under pressure from campaign groups and public opinion.
But the total number of young people aged 15-17 engaged in such work had risen sharply, it said.
Campaigning over the last decade has reduced the number of girls involved and now 60 percent of the total under the age of 18 - before which labour body conventions say no one should be employed in hazardous jobs - are boys.
TrippleXXX
What choice do they have when they don't even have school uniform and no food.Report Abuse
Sandile84
This is all because poor couples have a lot of children. These poor couples will then find it difficult to feed those poor kids of theirs and will let their kids work at a very young age. Some kids are kidnapped, sold to work for someone but the majority are given away by their parents to work and bring food to the table. The UN is useless, it should make up an international policy of making it illegal for poor people to have a lot of kids. The UN should be brave and demand that all countries must make sure that poor families should not have more than 1 child or 2 kids, because a child born in poverty is child abuse.Report Abuse
nevus
Mec@nevus, hawu bantu kanjalo nje? lol usile...
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this is what we call investing in youth,impower them with skills at a tender age.Phela most of whites children they know a lot about cars and engines than ours cause they've been taught from an early age.
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CrazyE
on a positive note, these kids know the hardships of life and they will never think of committing suicide, our kids who have everything, who never go to bed without warm meal, will think or try or do committee suicide when you try to show them the right way. some do it just because....Report Abuse
potjiekos
@ Sandile, true that poor couples have many kids, reason being there is nothing else to do except love making 24/7,365 days a year baba.I am not encouraging child labour in any way because it goes with a lot of exploitation and injuries (sometimes leading to death) to children. That is why we see less and less of such here in Mzantsi, am not at all saying it is not happening. Our legislation ( Dept of Labour) has outlawed it..period.If you get busted employing kids, UZONYA NGIYAK'TSHELAReport Abuse
Assasin
i am sure that 90% of the 115m don't have a choice but to fend for themselves...! some maybe their parents are dead,sick or r just full of sh*t cos we now living in a fucked up society were the live of a child is so meaningless but ba tla hola!!!Report Abuse