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Debate
„Education is the best protection against child labour“
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06/2006 |
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[ Sandra Overhoff, German Agro Action ]
“Education is the best protection”
The end of child labour is within reach, the International Labour Organisation announced in a recent report. It says that in the last four years the number of child labourers worldwide has fallen by 11 % to 218 million. Sandra Overhoff from the NGO German Agro Action/Deutsche Welthungerhilfe criticises the figures as being too optimistic. She considers the ILO strategies against child labour insufficient.
What do you not like about the ILO report?
The ILO addresses mainly the worst forms of child labour, as these are defined in the ILO Convention 182. It proposes an action plan to eliminate these forms by 2016. We believe that this does not go far enough. We must abolish child labour in all its forms. It is half-hearted to focus on just the worst forms.
Possibly, but it’s also more realistic.
No. Experience shows that an integrated approach is more likely to succeed. Only if steps are taken against all forms of child labour at the same time will there be any possibility of establishing a social norm that all children have a right to education and a childhood without work. We will only achieve a change of attitude in this regard, including among politicians, if the focus is on child labour in general. Furthermore, children simply switch into other types of labour if we take action only against the worst forms. Our partner organisations in India and in African countries confirm this. It is often argued that the forms of child labour which are not as bad are a necessary evil because families need the income.
Why else do children work?
Poverty is not the main reason and must not be used to justify child labour. It is often a matter of excluding certain groups, such as the lower castes in India, who do not have access to education and generally have fewer rights. Poverty plays a role of course. However, we have seen in India that a child’s income contributes little to the survival of his or her family. The reverse is true: if anything, child labour increases and perpetuates poverty. This is because the families whose children are working remain trapped in a cycle of a lack of education, poorly-paid work and the poverty which results from that. Anyone who wishes to eliminate child labour must look at several areas: poverty reduction, the fight against child labour and the promotion of education – they must all go hand in hand.
So the key lies in improving access to education?
Absolutely. Child labour cannot be eliminated unless there are full-time schools with well-trained teachers available on a widespread basis. Education is the best protection against child labour.
The ILO refers to the experience of rich nations where, a hundred years ago, economic growth, technological advancements, falling birth rates and improved access to education helped in the fight against child labour.
Doesn’t the experience of these countries also show that, to a certain extent, child labour is part of economic development ?
I would disagree with that. We are saying that, if anything, child labour exacerbates poverty. Child labour keeps poor countries poor. The work with our partners in Andhra Pradesh in the south of India shows that it is possible to rescue the children of very poor families from work and send them to school. Their parents are prepared to make sacrifices to do this and to work more themselves. This is the only way a country can escape from poverty.
You say that the number of child labourers worldwide is much higher than the ILO indicates. The figure should also take into account children who work unpaid in their own homes or farms. Does it really make sense to focus on these forms of child labour within a family?
We are not concerned about children who do a couple of hours of housework after school or help out on the farm. However, many children do not go to school because they have to spend the whole day working at home. These children must also be given the opportunity to go to school and create a better future for themselves and their families.
Most child labour is in the informal sector. What are the chances of changing anything there from outside?
It is very difficult. It is important to link the discussion about child labour with the more general discussion of workers’ rights. We are working together with local NGOs and trade unions which are trying to get into the informal sector. If it is possible to secure basic workers’ rights, then at the same time it is an important step towards eliminating child labour.
What do you think of attempts by local organisations which, in the first instance, are trying to improve the working conditions for children . . .
The issue must not be to improve working conditions for children . . .
. . . as an intermediate step on the way to abolishing child labour?
That would breach international agreements such as the UN conventions on child rights or the ILO Convention 138, which clearly states that children must not work before the age of fourteen. The issue is to ensure that all children have at least eight years of schooling. All countries which have ratified these conventions must set up the legal framework for this. The experience of our partner organisation in India shows that child labour can be eliminated if all of those involved are committed to this, from the families affected to national policymakers.
Questions by Tillmann Elliesen.
Sandra Overhoff
works with German Agro Action/Deutsche Welthungerhilfe for the campaign “Stop child labour! School is the best place to work”.
sandra.overhoff@dwhh.de
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