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Contributions from
the Column
Facts and trends
OECD extends development assistance criteria
Lack of direction in the face of increasing poverty
The many voices of German education co-operation
“Decent work instead of exploitation” for children
US Senate investigates World Bank corruption
Development assistance rising
KfW development bank debate on fighting poverty
New dynamism for the WTO
6/2004
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[ World Meeting in Berlin ]
“Decent work instead of exploitation” for children
Looking after goats, repairing tyres, collecting and recycling paper – children can see a purpose in doing such work. They may find it worthwhile to earn a little extra money to add to the family’s income and perhaps even enable them to go to school. Sometimes tasks can even be fun. Minors view such activities quite differently from the worst forms of labour such as slogging underground in mines, or hunching over for hours while grinding gemstones or knotting carpets. Affected juveniles from developing countries warn that such drudgery can only be exacerbated by prohibitions demanded by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). They say the slavery won’t stop. It will simply be hidden away, and children will have to work in damp, dark places, with a greater risk of exposure to dust and toxic fumes. According to ILO calculations, there are 350 million working children world-wide. This figure includes the girls and boys who are forced into prostitution; these are estimated at 200,000 in Thailand alone.
In view of these facts, it appears delusional and counter-productive to consider a blanket prohibition of child labour. Even the trade unions have come around to this way of thinking, which is why they supported the World Meeting of Working Children held in Berlin in April. 30 delegates from 23 Latin American, African and Asian countries attended the congress, some bringing translators and caregivers from civic organisations. The youngsters – most of them between 15 and 17 years old – protested against sweeping prohibitions before the media at Trade Union House, demanding humane working conditions instead. As the logo on their T-shirts emphasised, their interest lies in “decent work” instead of exploitation.
The Berlin congress followed on from the first World Congress of Working Children (NATs), which was held in 1996 in Kundapur, India. Previously children’s trade unions had been set up in Latin America and later also in Africa and Asia – some legal, others illegal, some with state backing, others with NGO support. The Berlin meeting was arranged by ProNats (website: www.pronats.de), an initiative against exploitation and for the empowerment of working children, which involves various groups and interested people. Organisers were the Working Group for Global Education and International Co-operation at the Technical University in Berlin. In the near future this institution is meant to halt to its work – due to compulsory cut-backs.
Johannes Wendt
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