Child Labor
“In some families, parents force children to do family matters such as babysitting, cow herding and working at a very young age . . . education is the tree of life so let's reap its sweet fruits.” - Child, Lesotho
“It makes me very sad to see children of my age selling water on the street corners when I'm being driven to school. Does this mean that they are not important and does the government not care about them?” - Tobi, six years old, Nigeria
Together with Education International (EI), NEA believes that it is the combined responsibility of education unions and governments to combat child labor through ensuring access to a quality education for all children.
Children with no access to quality education have little alternative but to enter the labor market, where they are often forced to work in dangerous conditions. 70 per cent of all working children are involved in agriculture, 22 per cent in services and 9 percent in industry. The Asia-Pacific region continues to have the largest number of child workers, followed by Sub- Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Education is a crucial component of an effective strategy to eliminate child labor. Experience shows that a combination of economic growth, respect for labor standards, universal education and social protection, together with a better understanding of the needs and rights of children, can bring about a significant reduction in child labor.
Related Resources:
- Education International Child Labour Introduction
http://www.ei-ie.org/childlabour/en/ - Give girls a chance: End child labour
To mark World Day Against Child Labour, 12 June 2009, EI and the and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) collaborated on this new publication on the multiple disadvantages faced by more than 100 million girls in child labour. It also contains two lesson aids for classroom use and links to international law and conventions on child labour. EI-ILO Brochure on World Day Against Child Labour 2009, "Give girls a chance: End child labour" - No to Child Labour! Yes to Education!
Teachers around the world are determined to help tackle the problem of child labour. This short documentary shines the spotlight on successful strategies by the Moroccan National Teachers' Union (SNE) to prevent child labour by reducing school drop-out rates. - Why I Teach Child Labor
In this article from NEA Today Magazine (October/November 2008), language arts teacher Ron Adams describes his search in the existing curriculum where state standards intersect with the teaching of child labor issues and efforts to address these hard issues with his 7th grade students. - The International Center on Child Labor and Education (ICCLE) Resources and avenues for student learning about global child labor issues across the country and the world. Explore the link between poverty, child labor, and education through a spectrum of student materials.
http://www.knowchildlabor.org
