About child labour

Worldwide there are 68 million children, they work and don’t go to school. This children work in agriculture, industry and services. The most children work in the agriculture: 59%, the others work in the services: 32%, and in the industry: 7,2%. Over the world, 1 out of the 10 children between 5 and 17 years old, are working. In the poorest countries, 1 out of the 5 children between 5 and 17 years old, are working. The most children work because they don’t have to go to school.

Child labour in the Netherlands and in Belgium

In the industrial revolution Child labour was, also in the Netherlands normal. Children worked on the countryside of their parents, or the children worked in factories. For the first time, in 1841 there was research on child labour. For a long time there didn’t happen anything with the results of this research. In 1874 there was a minister, Samuel van Houten, who thought that there should be a law against child labour, thanks to that law, a child younger than 12 working, became illegal.In fact, this law didn’t change much. Compulsory schooling made in a lot of countries a end to child labour. The Netherlands got compulsory schooling in 1901. Nowadays you can work legally when you are 13 years old. In 2017 there are 10 000 children of 12 years old who work a minimum of 12 hours a week and there are 9000 children who work 20 hours a week. Nowadays children under the age of 16 should not have to do heavy physical work because children have to go to school till they are 16 years old. Of course there is an exception: children between 13 and 14 years old can work a maximum of 2 hours on a school day and 12 hours in a week, but they have to do chores around the house like baby sitting. If you are 15 years old you can bring around the morning newspaper.

Child labour in Africa

In Africa is a lot of child labour 41% of the children between 5 and 14 years old work. They work by family and in factories. The Africans don’t see work by the family the same as working in a factory. Most children work because:

1. They must to earn money for family.
2. There is a lot of poverty.
3. The population is growing quickly.
4. They live in bad conditions.
5. There is a bad education system.
6. There are many orphans

Most children work in the West-African mines, those children earn 1 Euro in a day, they work 12 hours a day. They make 0,083 cents an hour, this is not enough to buy food for the family. This is the reason why more than one children in a family work. A lot of African children is a street child, they live on the street. They beg and don’t have enough money, they don’t go to school and are often addicted to drugs.

Child labour in Asia

In Asia the child labour industry grows due to big department stores. In Europe this department stores are really famous. H&M and Nike are some really famous department stores. In Asia 41 million children are working, they work in factories and on the streets. A lot of children are working in the prostitution. In the Asian culture it is customary when children work. They do this because they have to pay the debts of the family. The children work for the family but the family doesn’t have enough money to buy food for the children.

Child labour in South-Africa

South-American poverty is growing quickly. There are 25 million poor children in South-America. 7 million of those people are living on the streets. There are some adults who are using their children, they have to do criminal things. Some families are really desperate and send their daughters into the prostitution in exchange for food. 44 out of the 1000 children in South-America die every year. The law in South-America says that children under the age of 14 are not allowed to work. There are exceptions for children who have school because children who follow lessons on a school can work thanks to a permission of the government.

Child labour in Europe

In four European nations there is still child labour. Those countries are Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The children in these countries work in factories and work as a prostitute. They don’t have a lot of money because all the money they earn go to the bosses. There are also a lot of children who beg for money. They don’t earn enough money with begging, so they are going to work as a prostitute. Most children on the streets are addicted to drugs.

organizations against child labour

Unicef

Unicef is in the UN, an organization with almost all the countries. Their main goals is bringing peace to the world. Those initials stand for: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. Unicef helps children in 158 countries with bad environment. Unicef was founded in 1946 after world war II. So Unicef exist 73 years.

Save the children

Save the children is the biggest independent organization. Save the children is committed to children and youngsters in difficult living conditions. Save the children was founded in 1919. The main goal was± Taking care of the war children from World War I. Save the children wants a few things:

1. Each child must be respected and valued.
2. That everyone listens to children.
3. That all children can learn.
4. That children will have hope and a future

Save the children makes the people aware of the children labour in poor countries. Save the children wants that every child has a playing court and is save. To do this, they have made 4 houses for children and youngsters.

Consequences of child labour

Mental effects

• The children don’t go to school, this is the reason why they are not smart enough to get a well-payed job.
• The children don’t spend much time with their parents, this is the reason why they are mentally disordered.

Physical effects

• Because the children have to work 12 hours a day, they are very tired.
• Their eyesight becomes worse because they have to work in dark rooms.