CALLS: Weekly News - 20/2009
Focus – Child Labour in Zambia – The effects of the global crisis are reaching more and more the least developed countries such as Zambia where child labour is increasing in mining communities. The worst forms of child labour, such as mining, requires immediate and comprehensive national and international action, as indicated in the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No. 182), adopted in 1999 by the General Conference of the International Labour Organization.
Massimo Corsini – CALLS Coordinator
Equilibri.net (10 novembre 2009)
Focus
The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child is a fundamental legally binding international instrument incorporating the full range of human rights*. It is based on four basic principles: non-discrimination, devotion to the best interests of the child, the right to life, survival and development, the respect for the views of the child. A further impetus to the fight against child labour came in 1998 with the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which fight the practice of child labour. Nevertheless, child labour in the world continues to be a challenge**. This means, for the children involved, the missing of vital opportunity that education provides to equip themselves with the knowledge, life skills and confidence to participate fully in the economic and social development of their communities and to improve their own lives***.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that more than 200 million children in the world are today involved in child labour, with most of them engaged in the worst form of labour such as armed conflict, slavery and mining. Child labourers are children aged 5-14 economically active. They work for persistent poverty, economic shocks, inadequate education or lack of alternatives. In 2006 ILO set out a Global Action Plan proposing that its member States commit themselves to the elimination of all worst forms of child labour by 2016****.
The effects of the global crisis are reaching more and more the least developed countries such as Zambia where child labour is increasing in mining communities. Zambia’s economy is dependent on the copper mining sector, in spite of the 1970s nationalization of the mines and the 80s and 90s economic liberalization programs. According to the 2009 African Economic Outlook, in 2008 Zambia’s growth declined to 5.5% from 6.1% in 2007 due mainly to the sharp decline in copper prices, while due to the global recession a further reduction in growth is expected for 2009, with an inevitable cut of jobs.
According to ILO, UNICEF and World Bank, the primary cause of child labour in Zambia is the extreme vulnerability of the poor and low income households because of the actual economic shocks. Formerly the 2005 Labour Force survey estimated 895,000 child labourers. Today the situation is worst due to the low quality and coverage of basic social services, like health and education, and the inadequate social protection mechanisms*****. The fight against child labour is today central in the fight against poverty in Africa, needing therefore a comprehensive strategy rather than targeted approaches. A legal reform is required in several African countries in accordance with international law, while the enforcement of existing law and ratified conventions needs to be improved.
Notes and References:
*The Convention incorporates the civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, like the right to survival, to develop to the fullest, to protection from abuses and exploitation, to participate fully in family and social life. For more information visit www.unicef.org/crc/
**ILO, The end of child labour: within reach, Global Report under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, Geneva, 2006
***Look at www.unicef.org
****ILO, idem
*****S. Nyumbu – B. Poulsen, The global crisis and rising child labour in Zambia’s mining communities: Are we facing a downward decent work spiral?, ILO Global Job Crisis Observatory, 10 August 2009. See also M. Bonnet, Child Labour in Africa, International Labour Review, 1993, pp. 371-389; P. Jensen – H. S. Nielsen, Child labour or school attendance? Evidence from Zambia, Journal of Population Economics, 1997; K. Basu, Child labour: cause, consequence and cure, with remarks on international labour standards, Journal of Economic Literature, 1999, pp. 1083-1119; J. M. Baland – J. A. Robinson, Is Child Labor Inefficient?, Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago, 2000, n. 4; S. Jafarey – S. Lahiri, Will Trade Sanctions Reduce Child Labour?, Journal of Development Economics, 2002; Understanding Children’s Work (UCW), Understanding children’s work in Zambia: Country report, Rome, 2009; World Bank, Understanding Children’s Work, 2009
For further informations and analyses: Center for African Law and Legislation Studies (CALLS)
The International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that more than 200 million children in the world are today involved in child labour, with most of them engaged in the worst form of labour such as armed conflict, slavery and mining. Child labourers are children aged 5-14 economically active. They work for persistent poverty, economic shocks, inadequate education or lack of alternatives. In 2006 ILO set out a Global Action Plan proposing that its member States commit themselves to the elimination of all worst forms of child labour by 2016****.
The effects of the global crisis are reaching more and more the least developed countries such as Zambia where child labour is increasing in mining communities. Zambia’s economy is dependent on the copper mining sector, in spite of the 1970s nationalization of the mines and the 80s and 90s economic liberalization programs. According to the 2009 African Economic Outlook, in 2008 Zambia’s growth declined to 5.5% from 6.1% in 2007 due mainly to the sharp decline in copper prices, while due to the global recession a further reduction in growth is expected for 2009, with an inevitable cut of jobs.
According to ILO, UNICEF and World Bank, the primary cause of child labour in Zambia is the extreme vulnerability of the poor and low income households because of the actual economic shocks. Formerly the 2005 Labour Force survey estimated 895,000 child labourers. Today the situation is worst due to the low quality and coverage of basic social services, like health and education, and the inadequate social protection mechanisms*****. The fight against child labour is today central in the fight against poverty in Africa, needing therefore a comprehensive strategy rather than targeted approaches. A legal reform is required in several African countries in accordance with international law, while the enforcement of existing law and ratified conventions needs to be improved.
Notes and References:
*The Convention incorporates the civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, like the right to survival, to develop to the fullest, to protection from abuses and exploitation, to participate fully in family and social life. For more information visit www.unicef.org/crc/
**ILO, The end of child labour: within reach, Global Report under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, Geneva, 2006
***Look at www.unicef.org
****ILO, idem
*****S. Nyumbu – B. Poulsen, The global crisis and rising child labour in Zambia’s mining communities: Are we facing a downward decent work spiral?, ILO Global Job Crisis Observatory, 10 August 2009. See also M. Bonnet, Child Labour in Africa, International Labour Review, 1993, pp. 371-389; P. Jensen – H. S. Nielsen, Child labour or school attendance? Evidence from Zambia, Journal of Population Economics, 1997; K. Basu, Child labour: cause, consequence and cure, with remarks on international labour standards, Journal of Economic Literature, 1999, pp. 1083-1119; J. M. Baland – J. A. Robinson, Is Child Labor Inefficient?, Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago, 2000, n. 4; S. Jafarey – S. Lahiri, Will Trade Sanctions Reduce Child Labour?, Journal of Development Economics, 2002; Understanding Children’s Work (UCW), Understanding children’s work in Zambia: Country report, Rome, 2009; World Bank, Understanding Children’s Work, 2009
For further informations and analyses: Center for African Law and Legislation Studies (CALLS)
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