Let´s ask some questions about this issue:
What is meant by hardous work of children?This is work that is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. Certain industries or types of work carry particular risks, but any form of child labour may contain hazards that can harm a child, depending on the working conditions. Children may be directly exposed to obvoius work hazards such as sharp tools or poisonous chemicals. Other hazards for child labourers may be less apparent, such as the risk of abuse or problem resulting from excessive hours of work. The more hazardous the work is, the more extreme are the consequences.
How many children are involved and in what sectors?
The ILO (International Labour Organization) estimates that of the 215 million child labourers, 115 million are involved in hazardous work. 53 million are aged 5-14, and 62 million are aged 15-17, hazardous work has been increasing among the last age group.
The highest concentration of hazardous child labour is in agriculture (59%), followed by 30% in services (domestic work, street based work) and 11% in industry (small worshops, mining, construction).
What are some of the specific hazards for children?
Among the many and varied hazards, we can specified the following:
In agriculture: exposure to toxic pesticides or fertilizers, dangerous blades and tools, carry heavy loads and attacks or bites from animals or insects ( mosquitoes transmiting malaria and other deseases)
In mining: use of poisonous chemicals, risks of mine collapse.
In construction: heavy loads, work at tall heights, risk injury from dangerous machinery.
In manufacturing:use of toxic solvents, performance of repetitive tasks in painful positions and risk injuty from sharp tools.
In domestic work, chilren may suffer different forms of abuse, long work hours and live in isolation away from their family or peers.
What is the impact on children?
Hazardous work can have inmediate and long-term impacts on children. These may include injury, disability and even death, and it´s clear that due to the fact that they are still developing physically and mentally, children and adolescents are specially vulnerable to the effect of hazardous work.
What we need to do
Governments need to ensure children below the minimum age of work are in education, and take actions to tackle the poverty that breeds child labour by promoting social protection, ensuring decent work for adults and enforcing laws against child labour, getting working age work in safe conditions.
Source: www.ilo.org
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