Nikki Mabini

Ashley Coffin
Megan Eisenhauer
Emma Oseko
 Define child labour and how it has
evolved over the years.

 Analyze the supportive and opposing

arguments to develop your own opinion
on child labour.

 Explain the health care provider’s role

in terms of caring for children omitted
to child labour.
Only estimates exist, but at least 250 million
children between the ages of 5 and 14 work
for a living in developing countries, nearly
half of them full time.
(WHO 2010)
 Child labour - refers to children performing
work that is exploitative or detrimental to their
development (Conley 2000)

 Child labourer - a child denied the liberating

benefit of education, one whose health, growth
and development are threatened, who risks
losing the love, care and protection of family
and who cannot enjoy the rest and play that are
every child’s right. (WHO 2010)
 Child Protection Violation (UNICEF
2009)

 International Labor Organization (ILO)

 The ILO is the UN-specialized agency seeking the

promotion of social justice and internationally recognized
human and labour rights.
 Distinguishes between harmful and non-harmful work
 Harmful work: work in the industrial sectors ; considered
stressful and presenting high risks of exposure to radiation
and hazardous chemical substances
 Non- harmful work: work in the family unit
(Bhukuth, 2008)
 In 18th century, child labor was accepted by many.
(The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2010)
 Throughout the 18th century misconceptions about
children increased child labour
(Galbi, 1994)

 During the Victorian Era, increased in population in

Great Britain worsen child labour.
(Daniels, 2003)

 The Industrial revolution in Canada also increased child

labor practices.

 In 1920, legislations were constructed to secure

children rights and their education.

(The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2010)

 1924 - The League of Nations adopts
the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of
the Child.

 1948 - The UN General Assembly passes

the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights

 1959 - The UN General Assembly adopts

the Declaration of the Rights of the Child
(UNICEF, 2009)
 1973 - The International Labour Organizations adopts
Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to
Employment

 1989 - The UN General Assembly unanimously approves the

Convention on the Rights of the Child

 1999 - The International Labour Organization adopts

Convention No. 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate
Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

 2002 - The UN General Assembly holds a Special Session on

Children, meeting for the first time to specifically discuss
children’s issues.

(UNICEF, 2009)
 Poverty
1. The underlying factor
2. Caused by economic, environmental,
social, and physical factors
3. Child labour becomes a coping strategy
in that negative shift of the family’s
well-being; families survive thanks to
the financial contribution made by
children’s work

(Bhukuth, 2008)
 Assumed that families are not in the
business of exploiting children; and that
the work is judged not be hazardous to
their physical, mental, or moral health

 Important to note that exploitation

cannot be ruled out

(Bhukuth, 2008)
 Different in developed and under-developed
countries

 Child labour :

1. Sustains standards of living in some

households
2. Children are generally from most
marginalized backgrounds; living in extreme
poverty e.g. in the case of debt bondage
(Bhukuth, 2008)
 Mainly private
companies e.g. factory
work, mining.

 These employment
markets exploit
children in the form of
wages

 Children just seen as

minors rather than
workers whose rights
have to be respected.
(Bhukuth, 2008)
 Status as a minor:
1. leaves child worker open to any form
of abuse
2. cannot claim own rights or better working
conditions
3. not entitled to join any union where their
voices will be heard

 Result: many resolve to work in the informal

economy
(Bhukuth, 2008)
 Children work as
helpers, apprentices
or do casual labour in
family businesses,
artisan work or
domestic chores.

 Sector has own set of

operating rules
making it difficult to
ensure application of
labour legislations

(Bhukuth, 2008)
 Every society perceives children and work
differently

 This makes it difficult to harmonize and

apply international laws in relation to child
labour

 Conventions on child labour leave a lot of

room for maneuver; currently, there are
attempts to establish universal standards.
(Bhukuth, 2008)
 Find it difficult to ban
child labour because:

1. Are not in a position to

support households
involved in it

2. Banning children from

working would mean
taking responsibility for
poor families who at
present manage to
survive without help

(Bhukuth, 2008)
(UNICEF, 2008)
 Provide family income
 Family dynamic
 Exposure to Harms
 Education
 Health
 World bank stresses safety nets that
would respond to this crisis (Kane, 2009)

1. Boosting small scale projects

2. School- based programs

3. Multi-level monitoring

4. Youth employment schemes

(Kane, 2009)
 Increasing investments
in small-scale
projects will lighten
work needed to
generate adequate
income for survival.

 Will support and

sustain small families

(Kane, 2009)
 School feeding programs and take-home
rations that not only safe guard a child’s
nutrition, but also provide an incentive for the
child to attend school

 Prioritizing secondary grades for fee waivers,

scholarships and grants for clothes, books and
transport since children in this group are
generally a higher cost for the family

(Kane, 2009)
(a) School based-
 Protecting children who are
already studying and working.

 Teachers and other educational staff need to observe

for signs of increased workload: fatigue, sudden
absences, lack of concentration, physical injuries etc

(Kane, 2009)
)
(b) Labour monitoring:
* Government, worker’s organizations and
employment groups to identify children
moving into child labour

(c) Social monitoring:

* social services in place to identify and
protect children at risk

(Kane, 2009)
 Getting young people of working age into
decent work is an important step in reducing
vulnerability of younger children to enter
labour prematurely.

 Include: apprenticeships, subsidies to

employers, training young people
to upgrade their skills

(Kane, 2009)
 “Prevention required the combination of
education, outreach and enforcement. These
activities require a mulfaceted approach
aimded at employers, teens, parents, schools,
and communities”

(Miller, Handelman, & Lewis, 2007)

 Become aware of Child Labour and
the determinants of health
(Roggero, Mangiaterra, Bustreo, & Rosati, 2007)

 Become Involved in Non

Governmental Organizations
 Become travel nurses
 Nurses involvement in communities
(Higgins, Tierney, Lins, & Hanrahan, 2004)
People’s lifestyles and the conditions in which they
live and work strongly influence their health.

(Public Health Agency of Canada, 2001)

 What does child labour mean to
you?
 How has your opinion changed
after participating in this seminar?
 How can nurses advocate for
children’s rights?
 Bhukuth, A. (2008). Defining child labour: A controversial debate.
Development in Practice, 18(3), 385-394.
 Caglayan, C., Hamzaoglu, O., Yavuz, C. I., & Yüksel, S. (2010). Working
conditions and health status of child workers: Cross-sectional study of the
students at an apprenticeship school in Kocaeli. Pediatrics International, 5(1),
6-12. Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from ProQuest Database.
 Conley, J. (2000). Child labor-robbing children of their youth. Pediatric
Nursing, 26(6), 637- 639. Retrieved March 16, 2010, from ProQuest
Database.
 Daniels, B. (2003). Poverty and Families in the Victorian Era. Retrieved
March 14, 2010.
 Galbi, D. A. (1994). Child Labor and the division of labor in the early
English cotton mills.

 Higgins, D., Tierney, J., Lins, M., & Hanrahan, L. (2004). School nurses: a
resource for young worker safety. Journal of School Nursing (Allen Press
Publishing Services Inc.), 20(6), 317-323. Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from
ProQuest Database.
 Kane, J. (2009). What the economic crisis means for child labour. Global
Social Policy, 9, 175-196.
 Miller, M., Handelman, E., & Lewis, C. (2007). Protecting Young
Workers: Coordinated strategies help to raise safety
awareness. Professional Safety, 52(6), 38-45. Retrieved March 16,
2010, from ProQuest Database.
 Public Health Agency of Canada. (2001). Determinants of Health.
Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/determinants/index-eng.php#determin
ants
 Roggero, P., Mangiaterra, V., Bustreo, F., & Rosati, F. (2007). The
health impact of child labor in developing countries: evidence from
cross-country data. American Journal of Public Health, 97(2), 271-275.
Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from ProQuest Database.
 The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2010). Child Labor. Retrieved March 14,
2010.
 United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
(2001). Beyond child labour, affirming rights. Retrieved March 14,
2010 from http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/pub_beyond_en.pdf
 UNICEF (2009). Celebrating 20 years of the convention on the rights of
the child. The State of the Worlds Children/Special Edition. Retrieved
March 14, 2010 from
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-
7XXSS7/$file/unicef_sowc_spec._ed._crc.pdf?openelement