UN AGENCY SOUNDS ALARM OVER EXPLOITATION OF MILLIONS OF CHILDREN IN DOMESTIC LABOUR

From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 12 Jun 2013 13:00:01 -0300
Subject: UN AGENCY SOUNDS ALARM OVER EXPLOITATION OF MILLIONS OF
CHILDREN IN DOMESTIC LABOUR
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

UN AGENCY SOUNDS ALARM OVER EXPLOITATION OF MILLIONS OF CHILDREN IN
DOMESTIC LABOURNew York, Jun 12 2013 1:00PMWith an estimated 10.5
million children worldwide working in people's homes in hazardous and
often slavery-like conditions, the United Nations labour agency today
<"http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_215170/lang--en/index.htm">called
for an end to child labour in domestic work and urged decent working
conditions for adolescents who can be legally employed.

"There is no place and no excuse for child labour in domestic or any
other form of work," UN International Labour Organization (ILO)
Director-General, Guy Ryder, said in his
<"http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/who-we-are/ilo-director-general/statements-and-speeches/WCMS_215486/lang--en/index.htm">speech
in Geneva to mark
<"http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Campaignandadvocacy/wdacl/2013/lang--en/index.htm">World
Day against Child Labour Day.

According to the latest figures in ILO's report,
<I><"http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Informationresources/WCMS_207656/lang--en/index.htm">Ending
child labour in domestic work</I>, released to coincide with the Day,
of the 10.5 million underage workers, an estimated 6.5 million are
child labourers aged between five and 14 years of age. More than 71
per cent are girls, some of whom work as a result of forced labour and
trafficking.

Child labourers who work in the homes of a third party or employer,
carry out tasks such as cleaning, ironing, cooking, gardening,
collecting water, looking after other children and caring for the
elderly.

ILO reports that these children are vulnerable to physical,
psychological and sexual violence and abusive working conditions, they
are often isolated from their families, hidden from the public eye and
become highly dependent on their employers. Many might end up being
commercially sexually exploited.

"The situation of many child domestic workers not only constitutes a
serious violation of child rights, but remains an obstacle to the
achievement of many national and international development
objectives," said Constance Thomas, Director of the ILO's
International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).

In addition to the children working under the legal age in their
countries, ILO estimates that an additional 5 million children –
defined as people under the age of 18 – are involved in paid or unpaid
domestic work in the home of a third party or employer.

The relationship between the child and the employing family is often
ambiguous, according to the report, "the child is working, but is not
considered a worker, and; although the child lives in a family
setting, she or he is not treated like a family member."

One of the people interviewed for the report, 13-year-old Nadège, a
child domestic worker in Cotonou, Benin, described the blurred
relationship as follows: "When you are placed as a domestic in someone
else's home, an employer will not buy shoes for you. But if the
employer decides to buy shoes for you, it means that you are part of
the family."

The familial and legal "care vacuum" created by this situation works
against the interests of the child, ILO noted, by disguising an
arrangement that might entail cruel working conditions and often
masking violence and abuse.

The UN agency called on its Member States today to take appropriate
measures to provide decent working conditions to adolescents of legal
working age employed in domestic work.

This includes limiting their hours of work, prohibiting night work;
restricting work that is excessively demanding, and taking measures to
ensure effective protection against all forms of abuse, harassment and
violence.

"We urge ILO member States to ratify and ensure effective
implementation of the ILO's Conventions on child labour and on
domestic work," Mr. Ryder said highlighting Convention No. 189 and
Recommendation No. 201.

Convention No. 189 also states that the minimum age for domestic
workers should be consistent with the provisions of the ILO's child
labour treaties. These require that children should not work below the
legal minimum age for employment or work, and that young workers above
the minimum age should be employed in safe conditions.

In addition, the Convention identifies domestic work as an important
source of employment, especially for millions of women.

"Domestic workers of all ages are increasingly performing a vital task
in many economies. We need to ensure a new respect for their rights
and to empower domestic workers and their representative
organisations," said Mr. Thomas.

The UN report also presses for Governments to ratify and implement ILO
Convention 138, concerning the minimum age for admission to employment
and ILO Convention 182, on the worst forms of child labour.

Earlier this month, ILO released its World Report on Child Labour,
estimating that some 215 million children worldwide work.

As part of Government efforts to fight child labour, the report
stressed that the extension of social protection, in line with the UN
agency's Recommendation on social protection floors delineated in
2011, should form a key part of national strategies to tackle the
scourge.

In particular, the floors would guarantee basic income in the form of
social transfers in cash or kind, such as pensions, child benefits,
employment guarantees and services for the unemployed and working
poor, while providing universal access to essential affordable social
services in health, water and sanitation, education, food, housing,
and other services defined according to national priorities.

For it's part, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) also drew attention to
the millions of children engaged in some form of hazardous or
exploitative work, usually at the expense of their health and
education, and overall wellbeing and development.

In a press release, the agency also notes that there are many children
doing work unsuitable for anyone under 18. In the worst forms of child
labour, children are exposed to health hazards and to physical danger,
their development is threatened, and they are subjected to
exploitation.

"We understand that many children work to support their families,"
said Susan Bissell, UNICEF's global head of child protection. "However
when children are forced into the most dangerous forms of labour, when
they then miss school, when they are at risk and their health and
well-being are impaired, this is unacceptable."

"Actions must be taken to address this situation, including preventing
it from happening in the first place," she said.

UNICEF says the most lasting work must be carried out at the level of
Governments. The organization supports the ILO Convention 189 on
domestic workers, adopted in 2011, which particularly targets women
and girls in domestic service, and congratulated Uruguay, Philippines
and Mauritius for being the first countries to ratify the Convention.
Another 20 countries have started national dialogues on the issue of
domestic work around the process of adoption of the ILO Convention.Jun
12 2013 1:00PM
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