Children Working on the Street

PUNEET NAGPAL, Senior legal officer, IPEC

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International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour

Contents
Children working on the street 2. General overview on child labour 3. What is child labour (CL), and its worst forms (WFCL)? 4. Challenges/lessons in addressing CL and WFCL on the street 5. Data collection: CL on the street 6. Eliminating WFCL by 2016 !
1.
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Children Working on the street

Economic activities selling small objects, shoe-shining, portering Sexual exploitation (prostitution) Illicit activities scavenging, begging Criminal acts drug dealing, pick-pocketing

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Child labour statistics

215

million in child labour, globally million of these children in hazardous work

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ILO Global Report 2010

Child

labour continues to decline, [3% decline between 2004-2008] but more modestly than previously [10% decline between 2000-2004] On present trends, the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016 will not be reached
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Different trends: girls and boys

Fewer

girls are now in child labour.

declined

by 15%.

Worrying

trend for boys

Increase

by 20% among older boys (15-17) in hazardous work

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Regional trends
Asia and Pacific significant reduction down to 96m (14.8 % of children) Latin America and Caribbean slight reduction down to 10m (9%) Sub Saharan Africa further increase to 58m (28.4%) No separate figure for Europe or developed countries lack of surveys
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CRC and child labour

The

right to be protected from economic exploitation (32) = the protection from child labour (ILS) The right to education, health Non-discrimination Two issues under the Op Protocols (sexual exploitation, armed conflict) = Worst Forms of Child Labour
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What is Child Labour?

Child labour to be eliminated = Worst Forms of Child Labour (C182) and Work done by a child below the minimum age for that kind of work (specified by national law, in line with C138 and CRC article 32(2)) See: UN SG Report to GA 2009 [A/64/127]
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What is child labour?

Work that is NOT Hazardous work hazardous or or other WFCL other WFCL
18y

Children above the minimum age but below 18y Children below the minimum working age

14/15/16

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Worst Forms of Child Labour

a)

Children in slavery, forced or compulsory labour, child trafficking

Including debt bondage, forced recruitment for use in armed conflict

Children used in prostitution and pornography c) Children used in illicit activities d) Children in hazardous work See : ILO C182, Article 3
b)
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C 182: coverage
All

sectors of economic activity without any exception Girls and boys under 18 years Special attention for most vulnerable e.g. minorities, girls, very young, and on the street ! Worst forms of child labour as urgent priority target for action
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Child labour and its worst forms on the street

Forced labour, including in begging, child trafficking b) Sexual exploitation c) The use of children in illicit activities or crime (e.g. drugs) d) hazardous work = work likely to jeopardize/harm a childs health, safety or morals
a)
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Challenges in addressing child labour on the street

Outside the scope of child labour legislation - absence of an employer, or formal relation - not considered in the hazardous work list The children may be perceived as delinquents rather than victims of WFCL Interest in / access to education ? Decent Work prospect for these children ? Social protection measures may focus adults or families: e.g. Cash Transfer, income support Maybe lacking ID, birth certificate, legal status...

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Some good practice examples

Listing street vending among the hazardous work and prohibit for children (Lebanon) Comprehensive rehabilitation for girls on the street and/or at risk of sexual exploitation (Russian Federation) Mobile schools: facilitating the transition from street to school (Romania) Mobilizing public action by raising awareness among teachers and students (Paraguay) SCREAM (Supporting Childrens Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media) methods

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Some lessons learned

Clearly define what is not acceptable in labour, criminal, or childrens rights or other laws; Consider and address difficulties of enforcement Raise awareness among stakeholders of the specific risks [of working street girls]; thus help raise the issue higher on the political agenda Gradually prepare the children for social / family integration Involve government entities from the beginning, giving them ownership Mobilize children and young people; conveying the message to the public (families, community and institutions) and also the business community Respect and adapt to the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of each country and each community
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Child labour statistics

SIMPOC* (Statistical Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour) help countries in : household-based surveys, establishment-based surveys, baseline surveys, and rapid assessments
[* www.ilo.org/ipec/ChildlabourstatisticsSIMPOC ]
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Child labour statistics (2)

Need

to develop methodologies Need to define concepts for statistical operation < legal definitions Resolution by the 18th International Conference of Labour Statisticians concerning statistics of child labour (ICLS Resolution) - 2008
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Challenges in collecting data on child labour on the street

Household-based

surveys can gather information only on children living with their family and working on the street Establishment-based surveys may not cover any child labour on the street Childrens accessibility, availability and interest in the data collection
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Rapid Assessment
Methodology

jointly developed by ILO

and UNICEF Especially useful for some WFCL Qualitative information obtained through a rapid assessment will apply with certainty only to the limited sample population and context
[See: manuals available on SIMPOC website]
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Capture-Recapture method
See

the UCW example (Study on child beggars in Dakar) Previously used (2002 Global Report on Child Labour) in estimating the scale of the WFCL other than hazardous work a huge challenge for us all in CL statistics
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Ethical considerations in child labour data collection

The

best interest of the child Pre-research issues Assess the safety risk to the child of participating in the survey (and to the researchers): especially for children exploited in / by organize crime Informed consent for all interviews; in a child-sensitive way; with the right to say No at any time
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Ethical considerations in child labour data collection (2)

Issues during research Language and logic: to avoid jargon and adapted to each child (age, sex, culture) Trust: to be built patiently on relationship Conditions of listening: carefully, with positive and neutral expression Pay and promises: consider carefully Post research issues Right to privacy / sharing info & outcome
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Accelerating action against child labour

an

increased global effort to tackle child labour and enhanced Government commitment reach out to children at special risk: e.g. on the street !
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Further measures
international
social

cooperation

dialogue and cooperation = Partnership with business and trade unions and mobilisation
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advocacy

decent
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work for youth/adults

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The Global Action Plan

Eliminating
Roadmap

the worst forms of child labour by 2016 !

2010 (The Hague) Attention: children on the street

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Thank you for your attention !

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 4, Route des Morillons CH-1211 Geneva 22 Switzerland

Tel.: (+41 - 22) 799 81 81 Fax: (+41 - 22) 799 87 71

E-mail: ipec@ilo.org Child labour website: http://www.ilo.org/ipec

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