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As we know Somalia is facing a civil war for years. People have been fighting over basic resources such as: water and food, because they doun't have enough money to survive.

Due to that many children are exposed to various forms of child labor including armed conflict. However this isn't an legal act, but terrorists groups, that are fighting against the goverment, are the ones who recruit these children. Morever, because the unimployment rates are so high and poverty is  spreading throught the country, children end up having to preform dangerous jobs in the streets so they can survive, and many times, suport their families.
Acording to the Somali law, when 15 children are alredy allowed to work, on the other hand many start much younger than that. Unfourtunetly, the goverment dos not criminaly prohibit child exploitatin, therefore children are vunerable, and have no one nor nothing that is protecting that from Child labor.
Finally, acording to bartleby research, child labor in Somalia, children have been exposed to labor since 1700! Sadly, these children don't have a voice therefore action must be taken.

Links:
Child Labor in Somalia-bartleby research
https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Child-Labor-In-Somalia-P.

Somalia civil war- Wikpedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Civil_War#:~:text=The%20Somali%20Civil%20War%20(Somali,Siad%20Barre%20during%20the%201980s.

Children of Somalia- hamanium
https://www.humanium.org/en/somalia/#:~:text=In%20terms%20of%20child%20labour,legal%20protection%20against%20child%20labour.

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It makes me sad and mad sad to know that there are people out there that cruel and kids that have to grow up thinking its normal, it makes me mad cause I cannot imagine me being in there place it breaks my heart and makes me angry at the people who would do that to those children.

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Multiple food brands like Cheerios, Cheetos, and Fruit of the Loom use child labor to make products. 13 and over are the ages of these children who work jobs that once ripped a woman's scalp off. These children are mostly imigrants from other countries looking for a way to make money to send to their parents. One case was of a 15 year old girl who came to the US in search of her aunt. She never found her. Now, that same girl works a job that could amputate her fingers!

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In November 2000, the Cgil trade union confederation published the findings of a survey, which estimates that child labour involves around 370,000 minors in Italy.The study identifies the causes of the problem in factors such as economic poverty and cultural backwardness. Although the main concern of the study was, as mentioned above, to reconstruct the life-histories of working minors, it also sought to quantify the phenomenon. An estimation was made by using a combination of indicators relating to:

education - school attendance, drop-out rates, and repeats;

the family - the composition of households and the number of working members of the family; and

the underground economy.

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In 2014 it was discovered that kids from ages 5 to 15 born in Colombia have the worst forms of child labour. Such as commercial sexual exploitation, mining, and illicit activities, sometimes a result of human trafficking which means the act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service.
The Colombian code for children sets the minimum age of work at 15 years of age. But children under 15 can still perform artistic, sports or cultural work with authorisation's from the local authority.
Sadly many children in Colombian don't go to school and are forced to work by family members, or sometimes they get kidnapped and trafficked.
Luckily in 2021, Colombia made significant advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government amended the penal code, increasing the prison sentence for anyone who was found involved in trafficking children.

Sources: Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Colombia

dol.gov

https://www.dol.gov › ilab › reports

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In 2021, Bangladesh made a moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. In early 2022, the government ratified International Labor Organization Convention No. 138: Convention Concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment and the International Labor Organization Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labor Convention. Through labor inspections, the government also removed 5,088 children in vulnerable situations from 23 districts. However, children in Bangladesh are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor in fish drying and the production of bricks. Children also perform dangerous tasks in the production of garments and leather goods. The Bangladesh Labor Act does not apply to the informal sector, in which most child labor in Bangladesh occurs. In addition, penalties for child labor violations can only be imposed after a lengthy legal process. When courts impose them, the fines are too low to deter child labor law violations. Moreover, the government did not publicly release information on its criminal law enforcement efforts related to child labor.

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I honestly cannot even imagine doing this at such a young age, when I was younger I was playing with my toys and not worrying about a single thing, meanwhile kids are out here starving, working full time, and much worse. I feel ashamed that I barely knew how to set the table.

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Child Labor is a really big issue in the world and in many places, it's approved. Not only that the push factor is the successful people or rich which is really bad because those are the people that should make it stop.

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Lucas, Joaquim: Many things should be done to stop child labour. But what i think should be the main concern is the child's education, I believe it should be ilegal for a child to miss more than one day of school unless they're sick of course. Not only this but the government should help this children by giving them a small portion of food a few days a week, so only the parents have to work.

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In 2021, Somalia made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States participated in a workshop to validate findings from an ILO-conducted assessment of child labor in Somalia, which will inform future programming and policies in Somalia, including the national action plan to address child labor.

Work Cited

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/somalia

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The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Somalia

2019 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

Download Child Labor Report PDFs from Previous Years:

Want this report plus over a thousand pages of research in the palm of
your hand? Download ILAB's Sweat & Toil App today!

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Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Somalia | U.S. Department of Labor

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The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

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The child labor force in Somalia is 39.8% (1,012,863) between the ages of 5 and 14 years. Only 10,000 of these children's children attend school. Fisheries, grain crops and animal husbandry are not minimal to some of the agricultural activities in which Somali children are employed to work as labor. The construction and mining industries operating within the country also use children as part of the workforce. Kids are out there, hawking, pulling minibuses. They are also active recently. Human trafficking in machines is not something to look out for either. Because it takes place in Somalia, parents quickly seek out their children for labor. The country's education system has been permanently destabilized and undeveloped, with the country's pervasive economy and economy.

Sources https://ko.history-hub.com/worst-countries-child-labor

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아동 노동을위한 최악의 국가 - 2023

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메이플 크로프트 (Maplecroft)의 아동 노동 지수 (Child Labor Index)는 이들 국가를 최악의 최악의 국가로 지적했다.

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In the soviet union child labor was illegal early on in its existence. In 1922, At the start of the Soviet Union, child labor for children under 16 was prohibited. This could be bypassed though, only with the agreement of the Labour Commissariat and the trade unions (for children 14 to 16). In 2014, the Russian Federation made minimal advancements to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Government committed to assessing and improving working conditions in its 2014 Employment Plan. Some child labor in Russia isn't too bad, such as working in the streets. But some Children work in way worse work such as the production of pornography. (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/russia)

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IOL (International Labor
organization.)
They are the organzation that takes care of the child labor and try to do the best to stop that or reduce as possibel.

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Lucas, Joaquim: They make young children work extremly dangerous jobs, such as mining, diving, selling candy, Etc.  In many of these jobs they can get dangerous diseases which can kill them! By doing this they're violate multiple human rights.

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The legal age to work in morroco is 15 and they are forced to go to school. As lots of child labor the wages are really low and also can be very dangerous. Some children work in construction and other hard working jobs that consist of hard hours of work without any breaks or food, other jobs that are in the rural areas are  agriculture industries, forestry and fishing.

Title:10 Facts About Child Labor in Morocco

Website title:The Borgen Project

URL:https://borgenproject.org/child-labor-in-morocco/

Date published:February 6, 2020

Date accessed:March 27, 2023

Contributors:Missing

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In 2021, Eritrea is receiving an assessment of no advancement. Despite initiatives to address child labor, Eritrea is assessed as having made no advancement because it demonstrated complicity in the use of forced child labor. Government officials continued to force students in grade 12, some whom are under the age of 18, to participate in military training elements of the government's compulsory national service program. Children in Eritrea are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in forced military training associated with national service and forced agricultural labor.

Work cited
-Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/eritrea#

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Child labor in Nigeria is labeled as extreme, in my opinion, this is a travesty on Nigeria's part. I mean kids can only work full time when they are 14, I personally think this is fair because they need to help their families somehow but also unfair because Imagine yourself working full time at this young an age.

Credits-https://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/15/world/child-labor-index-2014/index.html

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the 10 worst countries for child labor - cnn

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The 10 worst countries for child labor - CNN

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Where in the world are children toiling dangerous and dirty conditions, missing out on education and other basic rights?

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In Switzerland, the legal working age is of 15.  However, in the 1960's, child labor was commonly found in rural areas of the country. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour_in_Switzerland, the Swiss authorities allowed over 100,000 children to do cheap work in farms decades ago.

Although in 1877 a law banned all children below the age of 14 of working, it was still widely used at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in the agriculture and the home work. According to a survey of 1904, in twelve cantons (regions of the country) around 300,000 child laborer still worked in Switzerland.

Now a days, the laws restricting child labor have increased and cheap work has decreased in the country.

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Leo & Yuri compare and contrast Venezuela x Chile 

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Leo & Yuri compare and contrast Venezuela x Chile 

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Venezuela:

Child labor is a serious problem in Venezuela. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), about 1 in 10 children in Venezuela are in in child labor somehow. This has been going on for years leading to poverty, unemployment, and increased child labor. Children in Venezuela are often in activities such as street vending, domestic work, agriculture, and mining. Many of these activities are dengerous and expose children to physical and psychological problems, as well as making them sad and taking away their right to education and a safe childhood.
The Venezuelan government has taken somewhat action to address the problem of child labor, including passing laws to protect children's rights. However, these efforts have been destroyed by the country's economic crisis and political state. International organizations and human rights groups continue to raise awareness about child labor in Venezuela and ask for stronger action to fix this problem.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/venezuela

Chile:

Child labor is a small issue in Chile, with the government taking measures to prevent and stop child labor. The country has taken some action to prohibit the worst forms of child labor, and has made many policies and programs to address the issue. According to a 2017 report by the ILO, the amount of child labor in Chile is relativaly low, with an estimated 3.3% of children aged 5 to 17 engaged in child labor. The majority of these children work in the agricultural sector, with smaller numbers in the other sectors. Despite the low number of child labor in Chile, there are still some concerns about this problem.  Additionally, children may be exposed to hazardous work places or long working hours that go against their education and overall well-being. Overall, while child labor remains a concern in Chile, the country has taken steps to address the problem and prevent its worst forms.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/chile

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Kids in child labor get in really exposed do bad things. Some of this elements are chemical reaction such as Murcery and can e really bad for kids and can even kill them.

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Child Labor in Myanmar (Bruma)                                            Nina Cavalca

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Child Labor in Myanmar (Bruma)                                            Nina Cavalca

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The population of Myanmar is about 53,582,855 and approximately 1.1 million children between the ages of 5 to 17 involved in child labor. Domestic demand, familial poverty, Myanmar's education system, government laws, and filial piety perpetuate the employment of children. According to, The 10 Countries With Worst Child Labor,
"In Myanmar (Burma), where 40 per cent of children never enroll in school, the Burmese army recruits youths as young as 12 years old. Those who don't serve as soldiers or military porters are often forced to labor on farms, run street markets or collect rubbish in the streets. Suicide is common among the worst treated."
In conclusion, the CHILD LABOR in not only Myanmar (Bruma) but the whole world is horrible and needs to be stopped.

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Lucas, Joaquim: This topic makes me feel really sad and disappointed. It makes me feel disappointed because just knowing that theres people in the world that don't care that they are ruining a child's childhood and also their future.

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Like the Philippines, Afghanistan's efforts in abolishing child labor are in the worst cases possible.  According to npr.org, aid organizations surveyed more than 10,000 responses from households that said from 12.9 million children living in Afghanistan, 13% of males from each household reported going through child labor in 2021. In 2022, 21% of males from each household reported going through child labor. For females in 2021, 19% of females reported going through child labor. In 2022, 29% of females from each household reported going through child labor. They exploit more of the female population than the male population through child labor because the females are more open to risks of health issues, so they want to leave them out to be vulnerable. These children work in coal mines for up to four hours, however, depending on the age of the kid, they can work up to ten hours a day.
According to Motivation for Child Labor, 1/4 of Afghanistan's children between the ages of 5 and 14 have to suffer the burden lives of working in terrible mining environments just to economically help their families.
Almost 1 in 2 girls are not able to go to school compared to 1 in 5 boys that can't.
The household of these children can't afford to provide their kids with education because of how much the average schooling wage increases. According to UNICEF, each year the wage for education increases by 3.9%.
Afghanistan relies more on the work of children than adults because of how more easily they are to function in the environmental setting, like fitting and squeezing themselves into narrow mining tunnels and shafts.

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A “Times” Investigation has found out that immigrating children work 10 hours over night in some of the most dangerous jobs in the US. A example that the investigator gave is in Cheerios and Cheetos factory’s, children package. In the Cheetos factory, one of the children said that their lungs are burning after breathing the hot dust from the Cheetos. In the US, child labor is ilegal, but the federal police dose not put enough effort in investigating and finding the factory’s that do child labor .

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For kids between the age of 9 and 12, the maximum workday was 8 hours. Although in 1902, the minimum working age was raised to 12. And now I believe it's 15.
In some parts of Italy, child labor is usually accepted in workplaces, such as restaurants. Because customers think that it's a family business. In the process of trying to earn more money, kids can end up falling in the hands of criminal organization.

Cite - https://www.google.com/search?q=What+are+italys+childs+labor+rules%3F&ei=Qb0hZMrLMdC95OUPtJaUGA&ved=0ahUKEwiK8NWQvfz9AhXQHrkGHTQLBQMQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=What+are+italys+childs+labor+rules%3F&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIHCCEQoAEQCjIHCCEQoAEQCjIHCCEQoAEQCjII

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In Argentina there has been a significant amount of efforts to remove child labor. The government has made many laws official on child labor and exploitation. Argentina listened to the ILO´s concerns on the minimum age and the most dangerous forms of child labor and took action towards that. In Argentina because of the economy, there has been more child poverty which leads to them to be economically exploited and lured into child labor. It is also reported a lack of information available on scale about children labor issues.

Work Cited

Thum, Josephine. “Children of Argentina.” Humanium, 1 April 2021, https://www.humanium.org/en/argentina/. Accessed 27 March 2023.

US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. “Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Argentina.” U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/argentina. Accessed 27 March 2023.

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The number of kids that work for child labor is insane, about 3.3 million os Pakistani kids are trapped in child labor. The law in Pakistan prohibit kids under 14 to work, which is not horrible but it's still bad because kids that age should be in school not working. Another rule in Pakistan is Pakistan's Constitution prohibits slavery, all forms of forced labour, trafficking in human beings and child labour. Last rule that is very important is that the government requires the state to provide free and compulsory education for all the children between 5 and 16 years old.

Citation:
Title:Pakistan's journey towards the elimination of child labour

Website title:ILO

URL:https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-islamabad/documents/publication/wcms_819050.pdf
Author:Munawar Sultana

Title:The Asia Regional Child Labour (ARC) Project

Website title:ILO

URL:https://www.ilo.org/islamabad/whatwedo/projects/WCMS_764614/lang--en/index.htm

Title:Child Labour in Pakistan - Know more about Child Labour Law in Pakistan

Website title:Paycheck.pk

URL:https://paycheck.pk/labour-laws/fair-treatment/minors-and-youth/child-labour

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(Enrico and Theo) Eritrea: This country is the country with the most child labor, and it comes with no surprise. In Eritrea, child labor is LEGAL!  They are forced to work every year, for part of their schooling. In this country child labor is not considered a social problem. This country has the most child labor.

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Myanmar has a higher rate of children aged between 5–17 that are involved in labor than the average Asian/Pacific region (7.4%). Myanmar ranked in the top ten of 197 countries for child labor risk with a rate of 9.3%. This country is also the seventh-poorest country in Asia. The majority of the children in Myanmar work in the agriculture sector, which is where most of the long-term medical conditions occur.

https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/child-labor-in-myanmar#:~:text=Myanmar%20has%20a%20higher%20rate,%2FPacific%20region%20(7.4%25).&text=Myanmar%20ranked%20in%20the%20top,with%20a%20rate%20of%209.3%25.

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Summary+

In Myanmar, there are approximately 1.1 million children between the ages of 5 to 17 involved in child labor. ¹ Domestic demand, familial poverty, Myanmar's education system, government laws, and filial piety perpetuate the employment of children. Child laborers suffer from physical health issues, are more likely to drop-out of school, and stall the growth of a skilled labor force in Myanmar. Focusing on educating child workers and re-funding the Myanmar Program on the Elimination of Child Labor can eliminate the number of children involved in the employment sector.

Key Takeaways+

Child labor is an important issue in Myanmar that many families face.

Children begin working due to high demand, low income levels, an ineffective education system, insufficient protective laws, and cultural commitment to their families.

There are many negative consequences associated with child laborers including health issues, high drop out rates from school, and a delayed growth of skilled workers.

MyME and My-PEC support child laborers by bringing education services to them and working towards increasing child workers' rights.

Key Terms+

Child health-The World Health Organization's definition of "child health" is complete physical, mental, and social well-being of a child and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. ²

Child labor-Physical work that causes damage to a child's physical and mental development. It "deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity." ³ Characterized by ILO as, "performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development." ⁴

Informal economy-"the diversified set of economic activities, enterprises, jobs, and workers that are not regulated or protected by the state." ⁵

Manual labor -Physical work done for pay. In the context of this paper, manual labor will focus on the unjust physical work a child performs.

Matriculation exam-University entrance exam and part of the Myanmar education system. ⁶

National remittance-When someone, often a close family member, relocates to a different part of the country for work and sends money back to people in their hometown. ⁷

Worst forms of child labor-ILO classifies sex trafficking, working in hazardous conditions, all forms of slavery, and children performing illicit activities as the worst forms of child labor. ⁸

Child labor can be difficult to define due to difference in opinion and circumstances. ⁹ The most generally agreed upon definition of child labor is workers under the age of 18 who voluntarily or unwillingly engage in work environments that put them at risk physically or mentally, and is socially or morally dangerous. It deprives laborers of their childhood and hinders development. ¹⁰ By engaging in work at a young age, children are compromising their physical and mental health, as well as other opportunities that are imperative to development. There are many different circumstances under which child labor can occur, with the majority, 68.4%, involved in unpaid family work, 22.5% in paid employment, and 8.1% being self employed. ¹¹ Child laborers can be involved in various sectors: agriculture (58.6%), retail and services (25.4%), industry and manufacturing (7.2%), and domestic work (6.9%). ¹² Globally, almost 1 in 10 children, or 160 million, are involved in child labor. It is more common for boys to be working than girls, and over one third of child workers drop out of school. ¹³

Q: What is child labor like in Myanmar?

In Myanmar, child labor mainly occurs in the agriculture, services, and manufacturing sectors, with 58.3% in the agriculture division, 24.2% in the services division and 17.5% in the industrial division. 14, 15 There are gender discrepancies in the type of work with boys mostly working in tea shops while they are young and construction sites when they get older. Girls are often found in restaurants and garment and food factories. ¹⁶ Private businesses employ 93.9% of child laborers in Myanmar. ¹⁷ About half of child laborers in these sectors, or 600,000, work in hazardous environments with long hours, dangerous equipment, repetitive motions, and other risks. ¹⁸ Many children in the services sector work seven days a week typically from 6am to 9pm. ¹⁹ The International Labor Organization, ILO, estimates that 35.3% of 12-14 year olds and 33.3% of 15-17 year olds work 50-59 hours per week and 25.8% of the 12-14 years olds and 24.3% of the 15-17 years old work 60 hours or more. ²⁰ After their shift is over, they will usually sleep in their workspace, on hard tables at tea shops, or live with their colleagues at the owner's home. ²¹

Q: How do children become involved in labor in Myanmar?

Because of low wages in Myanmar, 14.7% of households in Myanmar rely on another source of income, such as child labor. In Myanmar, 16.6% of households with children have at least one child working. Of these households, 9.9% of them have a child working due to their indebtedness status. ²² Usually, families in Myanmar rely on children moving to more populated cities to generate income for their families. In recent years, thousands of children have been sent to Mandalay and Yangon, the largest cities in Myanmar, to live away from their families and seek work opportunities. ²³ Myanmar's two largest cities offer a variety of work environments where minors are accepted, such as tea shops, restaurants, car service garages, small and medium-sized factories, and small industries. ²⁴ For the child to transition smoothly into the labor force, families turn to brokers to find their child a job. Brokers are paid by employers $10 USD to actively seek children for certain jobs, or they can travel to rural communities advertising their service. 25, 26

Q: Who is impacted by child labor?

The children most at risk for becoming involved in child labor live in Myanmar's poor, rural communities. A census conducted by ILO shows that 79.5% of children from rural areas participate in work, while 20.5% of children from urban areas work. ³⁰

Additionally, children who have a parent who has passed away are two times more likely to become involved in labor, suggesting that a lower familial income resorts to children working. ³¹ The parents' education level, employment status, and level of income can also affect the likelihood of a child engaging in work. ³²

Q: How long has child labor existed in Myanmar?

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, Myanmar has adapted child labor into the country's economy. ³³ During this time, Myanmar was under British rule and it is theorized that child labor could have been carried from industrial countries like Britain to their colonies. ³⁴ While exact quantitative data is limited with respect to child labor in the 19th century, researchers have concluded that the situation has progressively worsened, especially due to children's involvement in Myanmar's military. Although this brief won't focus on military service as child labor in the world today, it's important to understand that child labor has occurred in the form of military services since 1948. ³⁵ When Myanmar became an independent nation, it became more common for children to work by becoming child soldiers. ³⁶ High recruitment requirements encouraged military leaders to coax children to these positions. ³⁷ Due to these events, discrimination of children became implanted in Myanmar's culture, economy, and political system. ³⁸

Q: How does child labor in Myanmar compare to other countries?

Myanmar has a higher rate of children aged between 5-17 that are involved in labor than the average Asian/Pacific region (7.4%). ³⁹ Myanmar ranked in the top ten of 197 countries for child labor risk with a rate of 9.3%. 40, 41 This country is also the seventh-poorest country in Asia, which makes it a target for manufacturing companies that are attracted to low wage workers (children make up a large share of these low wage workers). ⁴² A research and risk analytic company, Verisk Maplecroft, ranked Myanmar as one of the five top countries in the world for low-cost labor. ⁴³ This entices many corporations to create manufacturing industries in Myanmar despite the risk of children becoming involved in the work. ⁴⁴

Domestic Demand for Child Labor

There is a high domestic demand for child labor because of recent economic expansions. When the Myanmar government shifted from military rule to a democracy in 2011, the economy grew and there was a push for more industrial, agricultural, and retail services. In an agriculture-dominated economy, child workers were quickly hired because more laborers were needed to perform these simple, redundant tasks and children can work for a long duration of time for a low cost. 45, 46 Most parents in Myanmar are already working, with Myanmar's unemployment rate of those fifteen and older at 0.8%. ⁴⁷ Not enough income is generated from the jobs parents are already working, and there are plentiful work opportunities available, so children take these jobs to support their families and supply the demand for workers.

Underage working children are also paid less by the employer which creates a more cost-effective business. ⁴⁸ In the food production sector, children are paid $0.30 per hour while adults are paid $0.43 per hour. ⁴⁹ Businesses would also rather hire children because they are less likely to understand their rights and are less likely to resist when their rights are violated. 50, 51 According to research performed by ILO, young children have been grouped by employers as docile, easy to manage, and expendable. ⁵² Children cannot complain to higher authorities about the treatment they are receiving in the workplace because they are working illegally. Any child labor laws that Myanmar has in place are vague and poorly enforced. ⁵³ Employers take advantage of this by overworking and underpaying their laborers, creating a hazardous work environment. Because of possible lawsuits about child labor, small enterprises are more common in Myanmar. ⁵⁴ There are also many families willing to have their children work, which makes a replacement employee readily available. This reinforces the working child's motive to be obedient in the workplace to keep their job. ⁵⁵ The economic benefits and easy-to-manage situations keep child labor in high demand in Myanmar.

Due to the economic status of the country, one in five households rely on small incomes from agricultural work, and must find other ways to generate revenue. 56, 57 High poverty rates in Myanmar also contribute to child labor because many families do not earn enough money to provide for their basic needs and rely on children to generate additional income. About 13.3% of rural households rely on national remittance incomes while other families depend on debt bondage by requiring their children to work to repay debts and provide income. 58, 59 In 2017, 57.4% of households were estimated to engage in farming as their source of income. ⁶⁰ Roughly 61% of these workers report working multiple jobs or other means (employing their children) to generate additional income. Despite working multiple jobs, wages are insufficient to cover the cost of living in Myanmar, thus requiring multiple household families to work simultaneously. Wages remain low at about $2 less a day compared to neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. ⁶¹ The average monthly salary of $25-$30 is insufficient for the cost of living in Myanmar. ⁶² For one family of five, a $20 sack of rice, which can feed them for a month, consumes a large amount of the average monthly wage at 177,900 kyats, or about $99 USD. 63, 64

Due to the high cost of education, many children are unable to attend school, and thus they are funneled into Myanmar's labor force. In 2009, 30% of Myanmar school aged children reported that they did not attend secondary school because of the expensive cost, which can be as much as triple the cost of primary education. 65, 66 As children age and their schooling becomes more expensive, they are more likely to drop out of school and join the labor force. There is a staggering decrease of students enrolled in school when they transition to secondary school: 88.9% of children aged 5-11 attend school and 79.8% of 12-14 year-old children remain enrolled. The rate continues to decline as 47.7% of 15-17 year-olds continue to be enrolled in school. ⁶⁷ As the enrollment percentage declines, the rate of working children significantly increases with 1.7% of 5-11 year-olds working, 22.7% of 12-14 year-olds working, and 75.6% of 15-17 year olds working. ⁶⁸ The high cost of an education in Myanmar dissuades many families from keeping their children in school and promotes children to begin contributing to their families' income. ⁶⁹

The cost of traveling to school, uniforms, stationary equipment, and tutoring builds a financial burden for the family. ⁷⁰ Indirect school fees can total to about K89,000 ($50) per month, which is about 75% of a family's monthly income when they are working 30 days a month and earning about K4,000 ($2.25) a day. ⁷¹

Social Value Placed on Education

Disclaimer: there are other educational factors that contribute to why children drop out of school and enter the labor force, but this brief will only focus on the above mentioned factors.

Government Laws and Policies

Domestic laws and policies support the continued use of child labor. International intolerance for child labor has pushed Myanmar to create regulations for working children. But, instead of protecting child rights, legal systems perpetuate child labor.

Disregard of International Policies

Myanmar's current laws and policies involved with child labor are not compliant with international labor standards. International policies from ILO about minimum age requirement, the most hazardous forms of child labor, and domestic work regulations are not managed in Myanmar. Unlike most countries, there is also no law that explicitly prohibits child labor. Domestic laws attempt to implement international standards but are not adequately implemented. ⁷⁹

Insufficient Regulatory Policies in Myanmar

Accordingly, labor regulations are vague and provisions are fragmented in different areas of legislation, making it difficult to find what policies exist. ⁸⁰ Policies may even facilitate child labor, like the law stating that school attendance is only mandatory until the age of ten. ⁸¹ At the age of ten, children in Myanmar transition from primary school to secondary school, making it a convenient time for children to discontinue their education and begin working. ⁸²

The most recent adjustment to child labor policies in Myanmar is the Child Rights Law of 2019. This states that a person must be 14 years of age to begin working and 14-16 year-olds can work a maximum of four hours each day. 83, 84 This law only applies to factories, shops, or establishments, and does not include the informal economy, where nearly 60% of child laborers work. ⁸⁵ Children working in fishing, forestry, animal husbandry, and domestic sectors are not covered by any protective laws. ⁸⁶ Further, the Ministry of Labor is not permitted to investigate farms and other settings in the informal district, increasing the risk of unfair treatment to child workers. ⁸⁷

The Child Rights Law in Myanmar also prohibits children from participating in hazardous forms of labor, but has not completed a specified list of hazardous jobs. ⁸⁸ ILO has created a hazardous work list, but Myanmar has not integrated this into their system because the Ministry of Labor, Immigration, and Population needs to finalize the list. ⁸⁹ Without this stated list, it is difficult to press legal charges in unsafe work situations/conditions.

Insufficient Enforcement of National Policies

Employers and workers in Myanmar are not fully aware of the national and international labor regulations. ⁹⁰ Although the law states that there will be consequences to employers who break this law, such as six months in prison and fines, the government fails to implement these penalties. ⁹¹ Enforcing this law is difficult to do when the participants (children) are not informed of such laws. Lack of accessibility to labor laws cause both employee and employer to be unaware of violations. Even township officials may not fully understand labor laws because of the lack of involvement from the government and fragmentation of legislations. 92, 93 Labor laws are not properly implemented until they are easily accessible and there is an equal understanding of the laws from employers and workers to prevent misinterpretations. ⁹⁴ Furthermore, if a law is knowingly broken in Myanmar, little is done to enforce consequences. Workers participate in public protests rather than attempt to navigate through the legal system to fight for their rights because of perceived institutional limits. The workers recognize that although there have been reforms to the legislative framework, enforcement is yet to be integrated. ⁹⁵

Challenges to enforcement are also expressed when inspectors are called to investigate a work environment. Although the Child Rights Law of 2019 guarantees that every child born in Myanmar will be registered at birth, in 2015 it was estimated that 21% of the country does not contain a birth certificate. 96, 97 Without a legal birth certificate, identifying a worker's age is very challenging and discourages inspectors from investigating these issues. 98, 99 In one report, children were informed not to come to work or to lie about their age when inspectors or buyers came to the work settings. ¹⁰⁰ Negligence to enforce child labor laws only incentivises employers to continue hiring minors. ¹⁰¹

For this reason, children desire to work at a young age to support the family and uphold traditional family structures. ¹⁰⁷ According to a study by ILO, 77% of child laborers in Myanmar reported that they made the decision to work. ¹⁰⁸ Children report initial feelings of excitement and pride when they begin working. ¹⁰⁹ They are proud to be contributing to the family and economy, with 80% of boys and 83% of girls claiming they like their job. ¹¹⁰ According to interviews with child laborers in Yangon, moving away for work into large cities in Myanmar can be seen as an "integral part of growing up and living life." ¹¹¹ Myanmar culture encourages children to uphold their responsibility to their family, and working to financially support them is part of that responsibility.

Disclaimer: There are positive consequences as a result of this social issue, such as developing life skills, generating a stable income, learning work skills, and growing as an individual.¹¹² The following discussion only explains the negative consequences of child labor in Myanmar.

Children working for long hours in harsh working conditions lead to many short and long-term health issues. Of the 1.2 million child workers in Myanmar, about half of them work in a hazardous environment, or a setting that contains anything with the potential of causing harm. 113, 114 The most hazardous sector for all laborers to participate in is agriculture, with half of all fatal workplace accidents worldwide occurring in this sector. 115, 116 The majority of Myanmar child laborers, 58.3%, work in the agriculture sector, which is where the most long-term health issues among youth occur. ¹¹⁷ Although the Myanmar government does not record work-related injuries for children, injuries from adult workers have been recorded from 2011-2015. ¹¹⁸ The most common injury reported each year was abrasions with a high of 2,830 recorded in 2013. ¹¹⁹ Most injuries were caused by limbs striking against objects, with 39% of injuries damaging the hand and fingers, 21.4% damaging the feet and toes, and 9.1% damaging the head and neck. ¹²⁰

While adults suffer from these common workplace injuries, children are significantly more at risk in hazardous situations because of their stage in development. Because children work in the same environments as adults, with the majority of laborers from both age groups involved in agriculture, assumptions can be made that children are exposed to the same injuries. Occupational hazards can disrupt this critical stage and provoke health issues that cause more harm to children than adults and can affect children for the rest of their lives.

Short-Term Physical Health Issues

Long-Term Physical Health Issues

There are also many long-term health consequences that children are more susceptible to in the work environment. Children require 9.5 hours of sleep each night to develop properly, which they usually cannot obtain with a rigorous working schedule, which is often the same as adults, of an average of 60 working hours a week. ¹²⁵ Children are also more at risk in developing bone deformities and disabilities due to the heavy loads and repetitive movements workspaces require. This can cause ligament and muscle damage which creates permanent disabilities. ¹²⁶

In a cross-country study, it was concluded that there is a positive correlation between child labor and the presence of infectious disease and adolescent mortality. The data comes from a number of countries, including Myanmar and other developing countries that depend on agriculture to support the economy. In all regions tested, the occupational mortality rate for children was the same as the adult occupational mortality rate. ¹³¹ This means that the situations children work in are equally as dangerous, and more likely, more dangerous than it is for adults due to their early development.

Increase in School-Dropout Rates

Children can work more than 60 hours a week and are paid a low wage that makes it impractical for a child to return to school after participating in the labor force. ¹³⁶ While many children have expressed the desire to return to school, low wages prevent them from doing so. A ten-year-old working at a tea shop in Yangon earns 60,000 kyats, about $32 USD, a month. This is enough to sustain her family, but not nearly enough to support her ensured success in Myanmar's rigged education system. ¹³⁷ If children are capable of working and attending school, the monetary cost to pursue a secondary education is unattainable on a child worker's income. For this reason, children begin working and drop out of school shortly after. High dropout rates, over generations of working children, have affected literacy rates in Myanmar with a decrease of adult literacy by 14.39% from 2000-2016. 138, 139 It is expected that this number will continue to drop as nearly half a million children aged 7-15 have never attended school and more than half a million children cannot read or write. ¹⁴⁰ Demanding hours and low wages make attending school impossible for child workers and leads to a dramatic decrease in school attendance which can affect the whole country.

Stalled Economic Growth of Highly-Skilled Labor Force

It is theorized that Myanmar's widespread utilization of unskilled labor (child and adult) has the potential to stall economic growth and development in the future due to the increasing demand for skilled labor. 141, 142 Children that participate in manual labor enter the workforce uneducated and unable to advance in employment. Skill deficits have been ranked as the most serious business constraint in Myanmar by enterprises. ¹⁴³ This shortage of skilled labor stems in part from young workers not attaining a high level of education and lack of specific skill training for employees in high atrophy skills, including washing dishes, harvesting crops, manufacturing bricks, and collecting trash. ¹⁴⁴

In Myanmar, little time and money is invested in training for employees to develop skills and progress from entry-level positions. ¹⁴⁵ Particularly, training in information and communications technology, craftsmanship, and language competency is needed to create opportunities for child laborers to become reliable, skilled workers. ¹⁴⁶ Only 13% of the workforce in Myanmar is part of the highest paid sector, while 2 out of every 3 workers participate in low-skilled (38%) or subsistence agriculture (29%). ¹⁴⁷ While there is a high demand for such skilled labor, Myanmar lacks educated and skilled workers to fulfill the demand. As a result, agriculture relies heavily on low-skilled child labor. Compared to workers without formal schooling, those with a middle school education earn 20% more, a high school education results in a 26% increase, and post-secondary education grants 65% more income. ¹⁴⁸ Stalled growth of Myanmar's highly-skilled labor force affects economic productivity rates, making them 50-75% lower than neighboring countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam. ¹⁴⁹ Child labor perpetuates this lack of skilled employees by promoting uneducated children to enter the workforce. As a result, this limits an individual's economic mobility to pursue a higher paying occupation.

Myanmar Mobile Education Project (myME) is the first social benefit organization designed to bring non-formal education to child laborers. It was founded by Tim Aye Hardy who was raised in Myanmar and escaped to the United States in 1989. He finished his education at California Polytechnic University, Pomona and San Diego State University before returning to Myanmar in 2014 and beginning this organization. The remainder of the team is stationed in Yangon and New York City.

MyME is founded on the principles that every child has the right to receive an education. Due to the financial circumstance of child laborers' families, many are unable to attend school because of their long work hours. MyME brings the classroom to these kids by utilizing a bus complete with books, desks, and chairs for young workers to meet in after their shops close. The program has expanded to utilize tea shops that children work in as the teaching environment. Locations are strategically planned in Yangon, Mandalay, Mawlamying, Myingyan, Kyauk-Se, Dala, East Dagon, and Hlaing Thar to allow for the maximum number of children to attend. ¹⁵⁰ Shop owners are compensated for the child's time away from work and children are fed each class period. MyME provides child workers the free opportunity to learn literacy, numeracy, computer skills, and life-skills for two-hour sessions, three times a week. Tablets are provided to enhance the learning situation along with full-time teachers and other volunteers. There are four levels that students can be placed in with each level lasting a duration of six months. After completing level four, students are given the choice to return to full-time school with financial support from myME or the opportunity to attend vocational training. ¹⁵¹

MyME was founded with a deep understanding of child labor and the Myanmar education system. It focuses on empowering children to escape damaging work situations and find other opportunities. The program has grown to 60 staff and 5 mobile classroom buses in 2018. Over 10,000 working and out-of-school children have been helped through this program. There is measured to be an 87% attendance rate and over 3,000 kids are helped annually. Completion ceremonies are conducted for students graduating their respective levels. In December 2018, 20 students received their beginner level certificate and 17 students received their Level 1 certificate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and military coup in Myanmar, schools were shut down. MyME Box was created for out-of-school children and youth by creating a Portable Digital Classroom (PDC). Children in remote locations can receive an education by following a similar curriculum as myME without internet access. MyME Box shows how this organization continues to grow and find more effective ways to reach more children.

Updated measurements of outputs, outcomes, and impact would excel myME. Some outputs appear to be measured, but having a randomized control trial could demonstrate the impact of this program. With exact numbers of how many people are affected through MyME and to what degree, myME could attract more funders. Additionally, there is no evidence that myME adjusts the education program according to individual students' needs. By taking a human-centered approach to learning, more students could understand concepts more thoroughly.

Myanmar Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (My-PEC)

In December 2013, the US Department of Labor, supported by ILO, funded a four-year program to improve the lives of children in the workforce by bringing awareness to the issue in Myanmar. The Myanmar Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, my-PEC, focuses on decreasing child labor in Myanmar by creating multi-stakeholder responses. The program was extended in December 2019 until December 2021. ¹⁵⁵

My-PEC works in various ways to cease child labor. Three areas were selected to pilot a new approach by focusing on improving childrens' access to quality education and providing livelihood services. In addition, the project provides technology to collect data on Myanmar's status of child labor. Campaigns and trainings for labor inspectors have been created to educate citizens on hazardous work environments. Reforms of labor laws to make them compliant with international standards have also been pushed by this program. The Child Labor Monitoring System has been created under this program, but the military coup has seized control over operation. Despite this, my-PEC continues to provide direct services for child laborers and their households in local communities. ¹⁵⁶

My-PEC has made a number of advancements in the journey to end child labor in Myanmar. Many changes in policy and awareness campaigns will shape how the country views child labor. The first Hazardous Work List for Myanmar, which sets a safe work standard, was created while this program was in place. In 2016, the first Labor Force, Child Labor, and School to Work Transition Survey was conducted to measure Myanmar's rate of child labor and its effects. The Shops and Establishments Act and Factories Act were amended due to attention brought to the acts by my-PEC. This created 14 as the minimum age for children to work and 18 as the age requirement to work in hazardous environments. In March 2017, the first National Action Plan on the Worst Forms of Child Labor was created at the National Consultation Workshop.

Through continued efforts from my-PEC, in June 2020, the International Labor Organization Minimum Age Convention (C138) was ratified by the government, showing commitment from the government to focus on the child labor issue. In the pilot program, my-PEC provided education services to 3,514 children involved or at risk of being involved in child labor and livelihood services to 1,314 households. Overall, the project has trained 78 labor inspectors and law enforcement officials and 500 teachers about child labor. Many research, policy, and instructional papers have been published and made possible through my-PEC. ¹⁵⁷

My-PEC has had an instrumental impact on child labor in Myanmar but the program was scheduled to end in December 2021. The project could be extended again to continue supporting an end to child labor in Myanmar, or a permanent structure could be created. Instead of continuing to extend this program, a new organization could be created to oversee the progress this project has instigated. The most beneficial scenario would be if the government was able to support this type of organization, but this is unpredictable with the military currently in power. By continuing to focus on the child labor issue in Myanmar, the changes made during the past eight years can continue to help children.

Preferred Citation: Alyssa Augustus. "Child Labor in Myanmar." Ballard Brief. March 2022. www.ballardbrief.org.

Since she was young, Alyssa has always felt inclined to help others. Through majoring in Public Health and obtaining a minor in International Development, she hopes to help those that are disadvantaged. She believes that all children should be granted basic rights to allow them to pursue their dreams. This paper allows the voice of child laborers in Myanmar to be heard, provoking change in their country.

Summary+

In Myanmar, there are approximately 1.1 million children between the ages of 5 to 17 involved in child labor. ¹ Domestic demand, familial poverty, Myanmar's education system, government laws, and filial piety perpetuate the employment of children. Child laborers suffer from physical health issues, are more likely to drop-out of school, and stall the growth of a skilled labor force in Myanmar. Focusing on educating child workers and re-funding the Myanmar Program on the Elimination of Child Labor can eliminate the number of children involved in the employment sector.

Key Takeaways+

Child labor is an important issue in Myanmar that many families face.

Children begin working due to high demand, low income levels, an ineffective education system, insufficient protective laws, and cultural commitment to their families.

There are many negative consequences associated with child laborers including health issues, high drop out rates from school, and a delayed growth of skilled workers.

MyME and My-PEC support child laborers by bringing education services to them and working towards increasing child workers' rights.

Key Terms+

Child health-The World Health Organization's definition of "child health" is complete physical, mental, and social well-being of a child and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. ²

Child labor-Physical work that causes damage to a child's physical and mental development. It "deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity." ³ Characterized by ILO as, "performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development." ⁴

Informal economy-"the diversified set of economic activities, enterprises, jobs, and workers that are not regulated or protected by the state." ⁵

Manual labor -Physical work done for pay. In the context of this paper, manual labor will focus on the unjust physical work a child performs.

Matriculation exam-University entrance exam and part of the Myanmar education system. ⁶

National remittance-When someone, often a close family member, relocates to a different part of the country for work and sends money back to people in their hometown. ⁷

Worst forms of child labor-ILO classifies sex trafficking, working in hazardous conditions, all forms of slavery, and children performing illicit activities as the worst forms of child labor. ⁸

Child labor can be difficult to define due to difference in opinion and circumstances. ⁹ The most generally agreed upon definition of child labor is workers under the age of 18 who voluntarily or unwillingly engage in work environments that put them at risk physically or mentally, and is socially or morally dangerous. It deprives laborers of their childhood and hinders development. ¹⁰ By engaging in work at a young age, children are compromising their physical and mental health, as well as other opportunities that are imperative to development. There are many different circumstances under which child labor can occur, with the majority, 68.4%, involved in unpaid family work, 22.5% in paid employment, and 8.1% being self employed. ¹¹ Child laborers can be involved in various sectors: agriculture (58.6%), retail and services (25.4%), industry and manufacturing (7.2%), and domestic work (6.9%). ¹² Globally, almost 1 in 10 children, or 160 million, are involved in child labor. It is more common for boys to be working than girls, and over one third of child workers drop out of school. ¹³

Q: What is child labor like in Myanmar?

In Myanmar, child labor mainly occurs in the agriculture, services, and manufacturing sectors, with 58.3% in the agriculture division, 24.2% in the services division and 17.5% in the industrial division. 14, 15 There are gender discrepancies in the type of work with boys mostly working in tea shops while they are young and construction sites when they get older. Girls are often found in restaurants and garment and food factories. ¹⁶ Private businesses employ 93.9% of child laborers in Myanmar. ¹⁷ About half of child laborers in these sectors, or 600,000, work in hazardous environments with long hours, dangerous equipment, repetitive motions, and other risks. ¹⁸ Many children in the services sector work seven days a week typically from 6am to 9pm. ¹⁹ The International Labor Organization, ILO, estimates that 35.3% of 12-14 year olds and 33.3% of 15-17 year olds work 50-59 hours per week and 25.8% of the 12-14 years olds and 24.3% of the 15-17 years old work 60 hours or more. ²⁰ After their shift is over, they will usually sleep in their workspace, on hard tables at tea shops, or live with their colleagues at the owner's home. ²¹

Q: How do children become involved in labor in Myanmar?

Because of low wages in Myanmar, 14.7% of households in Myanmar rely on another source of income, such as child labor. In Myanmar, 16.6% of households with children have at least one child working. Of these households, 9.9% of them have a child working due to their indebtedness status. ²² Usually, families in Myanmar rely on children moving to more populated cities to generate income for their families. In recent years, thousands of children have been sent to Mandalay and Yangon, the largest cities in Myanmar, to live away from their families and seek work opportunities. ²³ Myanmar's two largest cities offer a variety of work environments where minors are accepted, such as tea shops, restaurants, car service garages, small and medium-sized factories, and small industries. ²⁴ For the child to transition smoothly into the labor force, families turn to brokers to find their child a job. Brokers are paid by employers $10 USD to actively seek children for certain jobs, or they can travel to rural communities advertising their service. 25, 26

Q: Who is impacted by child labor?

The children most at risk for becoming involved in child labor live in Myanmar's poor, rural communities. A census conducted by ILO shows that 79.5% of children from rural areas participate in work, while 20.5% of children from urban areas work. ³⁰

Additionally, children who have a parent who has passed away are two times more likely to become involved in labor, suggesting that a lower familial income resorts to children working. ³¹ The parents' education level, employment status, and level of income can also affect the likelihood of a child engaging in work. ³²

Q: How long has child labor existed in Myanmar?

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, Myanmar has adapted child labor into the country's economy. ³³ During this time, Myanmar was under British rule and it is theorized that child labor could have been carried from industrial countries like Britain to their colonies. ³⁴ While exact quantitative data is limited with respect to child labor in the 19th century, researchers have concluded that the situation has progressively worsened, especially due to children's involvement in Myanmar's military. Although this brief won't focus on military service as child labor in the world today, it's important to understand that child labor has occurred in the form of military services since 1948. ³⁵ When Myanmar became an independent nation, it became more common for children to work by becoming child soldiers. ³⁶ High recruitment requirements encouraged military leaders to coax children to these positions. ³⁷ Due to these events, discrimination of children became implanted in Myanmar's culture, economy, and political system. ³⁸

Q: How does child labor in Myanmar compare to other countries?

Myanmar has a higher rate of children aged between 5-17 that are involved in labor than the average Asian/Pacific region (7.4%). ³⁹ Myanmar ranked in the top ten of 197 countries for child labor risk with a rate of 9.3%. 40, 41 This country is also the seventh-poorest country in Asia, which makes it a target for manufacturing companies that are attracted to low wage workers (children make up a large share of these low wage workers). ⁴² A research and risk analytic company, Verisk Maplecroft, ranked Myanmar as one of the five top countries in the world for low-cost labor. ⁴³ This entices many corporations to create manufacturing industries in Myanmar despite the risk of children becoming involved in the work. ⁴⁴

Domestic Demand for Child Labor

There is a high domestic demand for child labor because of recent economic expansions. When the Myanmar government shifted from military rule to a democracy in 2011, the economy grew and there was a push for more industrial, agricultural, and retail services. In an agriculture-dominated economy, child workers were quickly hired because more laborers were needed to perform these simple, redundant tasks and children can work for a long duration of time for a low cost. 45, 46 Most parents in Myanmar are already working, with Myanmar's unemployment rate of those fifteen and older at 0.8%. ⁴⁷ Not enough income is generated from the jobs parents are already working, and there are plentiful work opportunities available, so children take these jobs to support their families and supply the demand for workers.

Underage working children are also paid less by the employer which creates a more cost-effective business. ⁴⁸ In the food production sector, children are paid $0.30 per hour while adults are paid $0.43 per hour. ⁴⁹ Businesses would also rather hire children because they are less likely to understand their rights and are less likely to resist when their rights are violated. 50, 51 According to research performed by ILO, young children have been grouped by employers as docile, easy to manage, and expendable. ⁵² Children cannot complain to higher authorities about the treatment they are receiving in the workplace because they are working illegally. Any child labor laws that Myanmar has in place are vague and poorly enforced. ⁵³ Employers take advantage of this by overworking and underpaying their laborers, creating a hazardous work environment. Because of possible lawsuits about child labor, small enterprises are more common in Myanmar. ⁵⁴ There are also many families willing to have their children work, which makes a replacement employee readily available. This reinforces the working child's motive to be obedient in the workplace to keep their job. ⁵⁵ The economic benefits and easy-to-manage situations keep child labor in high demand in Myanmar.

Due to the economic status of the country, one in five households rely on small incomes from agricultural work, and must find other ways to generate revenue. 56, 57 High poverty rates in Myanmar also contribute to child labor because many families do not earn enough money to provide for their basic needs and rely on children to generate additional income. About 13.3% of rural households rely on national remittance incomes while other families depend on debt bondage by requiring their children to work to repay debts and provide income. 58, 59 In 2017, 57.4% of households were estimated to engage in farming as their source of income. ⁶⁰ Roughly 61% of these workers report working multiple jobs or other means (employing their children) to generate additional income. Despite working multiple jobs, wages are insufficient to cover the cost of living in Myanmar, thus requiring multiple household families to work simultaneously. Wages remain low at about $2 less a day compared to neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. ⁶¹ The average monthly salary of $25-$30 is insufficient for the cost of living in Myanmar. ⁶² For one family of five, a $20 sack of rice, which can feed them for a month, consumes a large amount of the average monthly wage at 177,900 kyats, or about $99 USD. 63, 64

Due to the high cost of education, many children are unable to attend school, and thus they are funneled into Myanmar's labor force. In 2009, 30% of Myanmar school aged children reported that they did not attend secondary school because of the expensive cost, which can be as much as triple the cost of primary education. 65, 66 As children age and their schooling becomes more expensive, they are more likely to drop out of school and join the labor force. There is a staggering decrease of students enrolled in school when they transition to secondary school: 88.9% of children aged 5-11 attend school and 79.8% of 12-14 year-old children remain enrolled. The rate continues to decline as 47.7% of 15-17 year-olds continue to be enrolled in school. ⁶⁷ As the enrollment percentage declines, the rate of working children significantly increases with 1.7% of 5-11 year-olds working, 22.7% of 12-14 year-olds working, and 75.6% of 15-17 year olds working. ⁶⁸ The high cost of an education in Myanmar dissuades many families from keeping their children in school and promotes children to begin contributing to their families' income. ⁶⁹

The cost of traveling to school, uniforms, stationary equipment, and tutoring builds a financial burden for the family. ⁷⁰ Indirect school fees can total to about K89,000 ($50) per month, which is about 75% of a family's monthly income when they are working 30 days a month and earning about K4,000 ($2.25) a day. ⁷¹

Social Value Placed on Education

Disclaimer: there are other educational factors that contribute to why children drop out of school and enter the labor force, but this brief will only focus on the above mentioned factors.

Government Laws and Policies

Domestic laws and policies support the continued use of child labor. International intolerance for child labor has pushed Myanmar to create regulations for working children. But, instead of protecting child rights, legal systems perpetuate child labor.

Disregard of International Policies

Myanmar's current laws and policies involved with child labor are not compliant with international labor standards. International policies from ILO about minimum age requirement, the most hazardous forms of child labor, and domestic work regulations are not managed in Myanmar. Unlike most countries, there is also no law that explicitly prohibits child labor. Domestic laws attempt to implement international standards but are not adequately implemented. ⁷⁹

Insufficient Regulatory Policies in Myanmar

Accordingly, labor regulations are vague and provisions are fragmented in different areas of legislation, making it difficult to find what policies exist. ⁸⁰ Policies may even facilitate child labor, like the law stating that school attendance is only mandatory until the age of ten. ⁸¹ At the age of ten, children in Myanmar transition from primary school to secondary school, making it a convenient time for children to discontinue their education and begin working. ⁸²

The most recent adjustment to child labor policies in Myanmar is the Child Rights Law of 2019. This states that a person must be 14 years of age to begin working and 14-16 year-olds can work a maximum of four hours each day. 83, 84 This law only applies to factories, shops, or establishments, and does not include the informal economy, where nearly 60% of child laborers work. ⁸⁵ Children working in fishing, forestry, animal husbandry, and domestic sectors are not covered by any protective laws. ⁸⁶ Further, the Ministry of Labor is not permitted to investigate farms and other settings in the informal district, increasing the risk of unfair treatment to child workers. ⁸⁷

The Child Rights Law in Myanmar also prohibits children from participating in hazardous forms of labor, but has not completed a specified list of hazardous jobs. ⁸⁸ ILO has created a hazardous work list, but Myanmar has not integrated this into their system because the Ministry of Labor, Immigration, and Population needs to finalize the list. ⁸⁹ Without this stated list, it is difficult to press legal charges in unsafe work situations/conditions.

Insufficient Enforcement of National Policies

Employers and workers in Myanmar are not fully aware of the national and international labor regulations. ⁹⁰ Although the law states that there will be consequences to employers who break this law, such as six months in prison and fines, the government fails to implement these penalties. ⁹¹ Enforcing this law is difficult to do when the participants (children) are not informed of such laws. Lack of accessibility to labor laws cause both employee and employer to be unaware of violations. Even township officials may not fully understand labor laws because of the lack of involvement from the government and fragmentation of legislations. 92, 93 Labor laws are not properly implemented until they are easily accessible and there is an equal understanding of the laws from employers and workers to prevent misinterpretations. ⁹⁴ Furthermore, if a law is knowingly broken in Myanmar, little is done to enforce consequences. Workers participate in public protests rather than attempt to navigate through the legal system to fight for their rights because of perceived institutional limits. The workers recognize that although there have been reforms to the legislative framework, enforcement is yet to be integrated. ⁹⁵

Challenges to enforcement are also expressed when inspectors are called to investigate a work environment. Although the Child Rights Law of 2019 guarantees that every child born in Myanmar will be registered at birth, in 2015 it was estimated that 21% of the country does not contain a birth certificate. 96, 97 Without a legal birth certificate, identifying a worker's age is very challenging and discourages inspectors from investigating these issues. 98, 99 In one report, children were informed not to come to work or to lie about their age when inspectors or buyers came to the work settings. ¹⁰⁰ Negligence to enforce child labor laws only incentivises employers to continue hiring minors. ¹⁰¹

For this reason, children desire to work at a young age to support the family and uphold traditional family structures. ¹⁰⁷ According to a study by ILO, 77% of child laborers in Myanmar reported that they made the decision to work. ¹⁰⁸ Children report initial feelings of excitement and pride when they begin working. ¹⁰⁹ They are proud to be contributing to the family and economy, with 80% of boys and 83% of girls claiming they like their job. ¹¹⁰ According to interviews with child laborers in Yangon, moving away for work into large cities in Myanmar can be seen as an "integral part of growing up and living life." ¹¹¹ Myanmar culture encourages children to uphold their responsibility to their family, and working to financially support them is part of that responsibility.

Disclaimer: There are positive consequences as a result of this social issue, such as developing life skills, generating a stable income, learning work skills, and growing as an individual.¹¹² The following discussion only explains the negative consequences of child labor in Myanmar.

Children working for long hours in harsh working conditions lead to many short and long-term health issues. Of the 1.2 million child workers in Myanmar, about half of them work in a hazardous environment, or a setting that contains anything with the potential of causing harm. 113, 114 The most hazardous sector for all laborers to participate in is agriculture, with half of all fatal workplace accidents worldwide occurring in this sector. 115, 116 The majority of Myanmar child laborers, 58.3%, work in the agriculture sector, which is where the most long-term health issues among youth occur. ¹¹⁷ Although the Myanmar government does not record work-related injuries for children, injuries from adult workers have been recorded from 2011-2015. ¹¹⁸ The most common injury reported each year was abrasions with a high of 2,830 recorded in 2013. ¹¹⁹ Most injuries were caused by limbs striking against objects, with 39% of injuries damaging the hand and fingers, 21.4% damaging the feet and toes, and 9.1% damaging the head and neck. ¹²⁰

While adults suffer from these common workplace injuries, children are significantly more at risk in hazardous situations because of their stage in development. Because children work in the same environments as adults, with the majority of laborers from both age groups involved in agriculture, assumptions can be made that children are exposed to the same injuries. Occupational hazards can disrupt this critical stage and provoke health issues that cause more harm to children than adults and can affect children for the rest of their lives.

Short-Term Physical Health Issues

Long-Term Physical Health Issues

There are also many long-term health consequences that children are more susceptible to in the work environment. Children require 9.5 hours of sleep each night to develop properly, which they usually cannot obtain with a rigorous working schedule, which is often the same as adults, of an average of 60 working hours a week. ¹²⁵ Children are also more at risk in developing bone deformities and disabilities due to the heavy loads and repetitive movements workspaces require. This can cause ligament and muscle damage which creates permanent disabilities. ¹²⁶

In a cross-country study, it was concluded that there is a positive correlation between child labor and the presence of infectious disease and adolescent mortality. The data comes from a number of countries, including Myanmar and other developing countries that depend on agriculture to support the economy. In all regions tested, the occupational mortality rate for children was the same as the adult occupational mortality rate. ¹³¹ This means that the situations children work in are equally as dangerous, and more likely, more dangerous than it is for adults due to their early development.

Increase in School-Dropout Rates

Children can work more than 60 hours a week and are paid a low wage that makes it impractical for a child to return to school after participating in the labor force. ¹³⁶ While many children have expressed the desire to return to school, low wages prevent them from doing so. A ten-year-old working at a tea shop in Yangon earns 60,000 kyats, about $32 USD, a month. This is enough to sustain her family, but not nearly enough to support her ensured success in Myanmar's rigged education system. ¹³⁷ If children are capable of working and attending school, the monetary cost to pursue a secondary education is unattainable on a child worker's income. For this reason, children begin working and drop out of school shortly after. High dropout rates, over generations of working children, have affected literacy rates in Myanmar with a decrease of adult literacy by 14.39% from 2000-2016. 138, 139 It is expected that this number will continue to drop as nearly half a million children aged 7-15 have never attended school and more than half a million children cannot read or write. ¹⁴⁰ Demanding hours and low wages make attending school impossible for child workers and leads to a dramatic decrease in school attendance which can affect the whole country.

Stalled Economic Growth of Highly-Skilled Labor Force

It is theorized that Myanmar's widespread utilization of unskilled labor (child and adult) has the potential to stall economic growth and development in the future due to the increasing demand for skilled labor. 141, 142 Children that participate in manual labor enter the workforce uneducated and unable to advance in employment. Skill deficits have been ranked as the most serious business constraint in Myanmar by enterprises. ¹⁴³ This shortage of skilled labor stems in part from young workers not attaining a high level of education and lack of specific skill training for employees in high atrophy skills, including washing dishes, harvesting crops, manufacturing bricks, and collecting trash. ¹⁴⁴

In Myanmar, little time and money is invested in training for employees to develop skills and progress from entry-level positions. ¹⁴⁵ Particularly, training in information and communications technology, craftsmanship, and language competency is needed to create opportunities for child laborers to become reliable, skilled workers. ¹⁴⁶ Only 13% of the workforce in Myanmar is part of the highest paid sector, while 2 out of every 3 workers participate in low-skilled (38%) or subsistence agriculture (29%). ¹⁴⁷ While there is a high demand for such skilled labor, Myanmar lacks educated and skilled workers to fulfill the demand. As a result, agriculture relies heavily on low-skilled child labor. Compared to workers without formal schooling, those with a middle school education earn 20% more, a high school education results in a 26% increase, and post-secondary education grants 65% more income. ¹⁴⁸ Stalled growth of Myanmar's highly-skilled labor force affects economic productivity rates, making them 50-75% lower than neighboring countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam. ¹⁴⁹ Child labor perpetuates this lack of skilled employees by promoting uneducated children to enter the workforce. As a result, this limits an individual's economic mobility to pursue a higher paying occupation.

Myanmar Mobile Education Project (myME) is the first social benefit organization designed to bring non-formal education to child laborers. It was founded by Tim Aye Hardy who was raised in Myanmar and escaped to the United States in 1989. He finished his education at California Polytechnic University, Pomona and San Diego State University before returning to Myanmar in 2014 and beginning this organization. The remainder of the team is stationed in Yangon and New York City.

MyME is founded on the principles that every child has the right to receive an education. Due to the financial circumstance of child laborers' families, many are unable to attend school because of their long work hours. MyME brings the classroom to these kids by utilizing a bus complete with books, desks, and chairs for young workers to meet in after their shops close. The program has expanded to utilize tea shops that children work in as the teaching environment. Locations are strategically planned in Yangon, Mandalay, Mawlamying, Myingyan, Kyauk-Se, Dala, East Dagon, and Hlaing Thar to allow for the maximum number of children to attend. ¹⁵⁰ Shop owners are compensated for the child's time away from work and children are fed each class period. MyME provides child workers the free opportunity to learn literacy, numeracy, computer skills, and life-skills for two-hour sessions, three times a week. Tablets are provided to enhance the learning situation along with full-time teachers and other volunteers. There are four levels that students can be placed in with each level lasting a duration of six months. After completing level four, students are given the choice to return to full-time school with financial support from myME or the opportunity to attend vocational training. ¹⁵¹

MyME was founded with a deep understanding of child labor and the Myanmar education system. It focuses on empowering children to escape damaging work situations and find other opportunities. The program has grown to 60 staff and 5 mobile classroom buses in 2018. Over 10,000 working and out-of-school children have been helped through this program. There is measured to be an 87% attendance rate and over 3,000 kids are helped annually. Completion ceremonies are conducted for students graduating their respective levels. In December 2018, 20 students received their beginner level certificate and 17 students received their Level 1 certificate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and military coup in Myanmar, schools were shut down. MyME Box was created for out-of-school children and youth by creating a Portable Digital Classroom (PDC). Children in remote locations can receive an education by following a similar curriculum as myME without internet access. MyME Box shows how this organization continues to grow and find more effective ways to reach more children.

Updated measurements of outputs, outcomes, and impact would excel myME. Some outputs appear to be measured, but having a randomized control trial could demonstrate the impact of this program. With exact numbers of how many people are affected through MyME and to what degree, myME could attract more funders. Additionally, there is no evidence that myME adjusts the education program according to individual students' needs. By taking a human-centered approach to learning, more students could understand concepts more thoroughly.

Myanmar Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (My-PEC)

In December 2013, the US Department of Labor, supported by ILO, funded a four-year program to improve the lives of children in the workforce by bringing awareness to the issue in Myanmar. The Myanmar Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, my-PEC, focuses on decreasing child labor in Myanmar by creating multi-stakeholder responses. The program was extended in December 2019 until December 2021. ¹⁵⁵

My-PEC works in various ways to cease child labor. Three areas were selected to pilot a new approach by focusing on improving childrens' access to quality education and providing livelihood services. In addition, the project provides technology to collect data on Myanmar's status of child labor. Campaigns and trainings for labor inspectors have been created to educate citizens on hazardous work environments. Reforms of labor laws to make them compliant with international standards have also been pushed by this program. The Child Labor Monitoring System has been created under this program, but the military coup has seized control over operation. Despite this, my-PEC continues to provide direct services for child laborers and their households in local communities. ¹⁵⁶

My-PEC has made a number of advancements in the journey to end child labor in Myanmar. Many changes in policy and awareness campaigns will shape how the country views child labor. The first Hazardous Work List for Myanmar, which sets a safe work standard, was created while this program was in place. In 2016, the first Labor Force, Child Labor, and School to Work Transition Survey was conducted to measure Myanmar's rate of child labor and its effects. The Shops and Establishments Act and Factories Act were amended due to attention brought to the acts by my-PEC. This created 14 as the minimum age for children to work and 18 as the age requirement to work in hazardous environments. In March 2017, the first National Action Plan on the Worst Forms of Child Labor was created at the National Consultation Workshop.

Through continued efforts from my-PEC, in June 2020, the International Labor Organization Minimum Age Convention (C138) was ratified by the government, showing commitment from the government to focus on the child labor issue. In the pilot program, my-PEC provided education services to 3,514 children involved or at risk of being involved in child labor and livelihood services to 1,314 households. Overall, the project has trained 78 labor inspectors and law enforcement officials and 500 teachers about child labor. Many research, policy, and instructional papers have been published and made possible through my-PEC. ¹⁵⁷

My-PEC has had an instrumental impact on child labor in Myanmar but the program was scheduled to end in December 2021. The project could be extended again to continue supporting an end to child labor in Myanmar, or a permanent structure could be created. Instead of continuing to extend this program, a new organization could be created to oversee the progress this project has instigated. The most beneficial scenario would be if the government was able to support this type of organization, but this is unpredictable with the military currently in power. By continuing to focus on the child labor issue in Myanmar, the changes made during the past eight years can continue to help children.

Preferred Citation: Alyssa Augustus. "Child Labor in Myanmar." Ballard Brief. March 2022. www.ballardbrief.org.

Since she was young, Alyssa has always felt inclined to help others. Through majoring in Public Health and obtaining a minor in International Development, she hopes to help those that are disadvantaged. She believes that all children should be granted basic rights to allow them to pursue their dreams. This paper allows the voice of child laborers in Myanmar to be heard, provoking change in their country.

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In Myanmar, there are approximately 1.1 million children between the ages of 5 to 17 involved in child labor. 1 Domestic demand, familial poverty, Myanmar's education system, government laws, and filial piety perpetuate the employment of children. Child laborers suffer from physical health issues, are more likely to drop-out of school, and stall the growth of a skilled labor force in Myanmar.

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The minimum age for you to work in Portugal is 16. As a rule, minors can only apply for a job if they have completed compulsory education or are enrolled and attending secondary school. Compared to what is happening in India this is very good and I hope other countries start to do the same.

Citations: https://www.escr-net.org/caselaw/2006/international-commission-jurists-v-portugal-no-11998#:~:text=The%20Committee%20also%20noted%20its,children%20under%2015%20is%20illegal.

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European Committee on Social Rights

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) alleged that a large number of children in Portugal (estimated at 200,000 children) worked in poor conditions that affected their health. The ICJ claimed that Portugal was violating article 7(1) of the European Social Charter (ESC) by failing to properly supervise child labour. The government disputed the ICJ's statistics, claiming a maximum of 27,000 children worked and only 2,500 children were paid workers and employed in contravention of the Charter. It noted the measures it had taken to prevent child labour and defended the work of its Labour Inspectorate. The European Committee of Social Rights (Committee) found the complaint admissible and that the situation was not in conformity with the Charter. According to the Committee, the Charter's prohibition on child labour relates to all work by children, in all economic sectors and types of enterprises, including family businesses, whether paid or not. The only exception is 'prescribed light work' which States are obliged to define or, at the very least, draw up a checklist. The Committee also noted its previous findings in the supervision cycle where it established the maximum working hours for children. The Committee welcomed Portugal's strict legislation - all work by children under 15 is illegal. But on the Government's own statistics they observed (i) several thousand children performed work in breach of the Charter and Portuguese law (ii) a significant number who did unpaid work worked in sectors, such as agriculture, that naturally gave rise to heavy types of work; and (iii) the duration of the work was frequently excessive. The Committee also found that 2,745 visits to enterprises by the Labour Inspectorate, revealing 191 cases of children working, was "modest".

Keywords: International Commission of Jurists v Portugal, No. 1/1998, Labor, Rights

The Committee of Ministers, which is empowered to make recommendations on the basis of the Committee's legal findings, concluded slightly differently and considered that their previous recommendation, emanating from the supervision cycle, was still in force and recalled that Portugal will present in its next report the measures taken. The Committee then examined the matter again during the XV-2 Supervision Cycle and noted that Portugal had amended the Constitution to prohibit employment of school children, increased the minimum age for employment, legislatively defined light work, strengthened sanctions, increased inspection visits and adopted a plan to eliminate exploitative child labour. But the Committee found though that there was insufficient evidence of the prohibition being applied in practice. In 2005, a Portuguese diplomat to the UN pointed out during a working group discussion that the case had helped the country better tackle the problems of child labour and that the incidence of prohibited child labour had fallen dramatically: from 6.3 instances per 1000 children to 0.05 instances per 1000 in 2003

Groups involved in the case:

Claimant and Advocate: International Commission of Jurists 81A, avenue de Châtelaine - P.O. Box 216 CH-1219 Châtelaine/Geneva - Switzerland Tel : +4122 979 38 00 Fax : +4122 979 38 01 or 04 Email: icj@icj.org Website: www.icj.org Intervener European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) 5, Boulevard Roi Albert II B-1210 BRUSSELS BELGIUM +32-2-2240-411 Fax: +32-2-2240-454 or +32-2-2240-455 E-mail: ETUC@ETUC.ORG Web: www.etuc.org

Significance of the Case:

The case has been referred to frequently in the subsequent case law of the European Committee on Social Rights, particularly the statement that 'the aim and purpose of the Charter, being a human rights instrument, is to protect rights not merely theoretically, but also in fact' (para. 32). Nathalie Prouvez, the lead advocate for the ICJ, commented that the case was important since 'it was not a narrow case; it went beyond traditional labour rights'. The Committee case also established the principle that cases that raised issues covered in the general supervision process were admissible.

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International Commission of Jurists v Portugal, No. 1/1998

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Claim by International Commission of Jurists that Portugal had failed to properly supervise child labour; Interpretation on prohibition of child labour; nature of States' obligations under European Social Charter; use of statistics as evidence; adequacy of measures taken by State; previous consideration of matter by Committee in periodic reporting procedure.

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Honduras-
Children in Honduras are exposed to the worst forms of child labor, including sexual exploitation which can sometimes result in human trafficking. They are also used for illegal activities like selling and trafficking drugs.

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Under Chinese law, no one under the age of 16 can work and those who do employ children are breaking the law. Luckily, this trend is decreasing with the help of other legislature favoring strict policies in which the Chinese constitution intends to protect children from maltreatment. Some goods children produce while working in labor are bricks, cotton, plastic, and other harsh chemicals such as hair or skin products.  Chines children from rural areas are more likely to be child laborers. Farms need laborers and children are inexpensive to employ. Children in labor usually work in factories with dangerous tools and harsh chemicals. Some companies that do child labor in China are Nike, Adidas, Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung.

Information based off of Google

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According to data from the (IBGE), more than 2.7 million minors between the ages of 5 and 17 worked in the country in 2015, 79,000 were between the ages of 5 and 9. Under Brazilian law, 16 is the minimum age to enter the labor market and 14 is the minimum age to work as an apprentice.
About 30 percent of Brazilian child labor occurs in the agricultural sector, and 60 percent occurs in the northern and northeastern places of the country. Data indicates that 65 percent of child laborers are Afro-brazillians, and 70 percent are male.

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The number of Brazilians aged between 7 and 14 working in some form of child labor may be about seven times higher than official statistics indicate. Many children in Brasil no longer have fingerprints because they started working on semiprecious jewel production at a young age. 1.8 million children and teenagers were working in Brazil 21% of these were aged between 5 and 13. the number of child labor only raised since the covid 19 pandemic. There are two relevant social programs in Brazil responsible for reducing the number of working children and the rise in children's school attendance. The programs are "bolsa escola" and child labour's eradication program. Children in Brazil are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. (1-3) Children also engage in child labor in agriculture, including in the production of coffee, cotton

Citation:
Title:Costs and benefits of eliminating child labour in Brazil
Website title:SciELO
URL:https://www.scielo.br/j/ecoa/a/zmryRfqJYRyDbfKPwNP6xBP/?lang=en

Title:Child labor could affect almost 6 million children in Brazil
Website title:Revista Pesquisa Fapesp
URL:https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/en/child-labor-could-affect-almost-6-million-children-in-brazil/
Author:Ana Paula Orlandi

Title:Trabalho infantil no Brasil pode ser 7 vezes maior do que apontam pesquisas
Website title:Folha
URL:https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/2022/04/trabalho-infantil-no-brasil-pode-ser-7-vezes-maior-do-que-apontam-pesquisas.shtml
Date published:April 12, 2022

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Although the minimum age for working in Venezuela is 14 and the minimum age for hazardous work is 18, the government has done little to stop underage children from working. There is a shocking amount of commercial sexual exploitation, but the government has not made a list of hazardous occupations prohibited for children, so anyone who wants to know has to go there and nobody wants to go there.

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Nigeria

The law in Nigeria of Minimum work age is, Age 12: Section 59(1) of the Labor Act; Sections 28, 29, and 277 of the Child's Right Act (23,24). The law of hazardous work in Nigeria is, Age 18: Section 59 (5) and (6) of the Labor Act; Sections 28, 29, and 277 of the Child's Right Act (23,24)

In 2021, the national child labor policy changed and the government is trying to eliminate the worst forms of child labor throughout 2021 - 2025. Some of the main forms  of child labor in Nigeria are: Cocoa, gold, granite, gravel, Manioc/Cassava. There are many dangers of child labor in Nigeria. The Conditions are Hazardous, the dangerous environment often causes bodily harm, severe trauma and even death. The children normally fund their parents through their work, 70% of the nation's population is below the poverty line and because of the family's struggle they rely on their children to bring some additional money.

Work Cited

“Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Nigeria.” U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/nigeria. Accessed 27 March 2023.
“10 Facts about Child Labor in Nigeria.” The Borgen Project, 1 June 2020, https://borgenproject.org/child-labor-in-nigeria/. Accessed 27 March 2023.

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(Theo and Enrico) Enrico: This made me feel sad, because while we are here at school learning, they are out there working a lot every day. They have to go mining and all kinds of stuff. It's very mood-killing what these kids have to do at such a young age.

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this topic makes me feel very sad, because of how some children has to work in hazardous and toxic place.

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It makes me feel dissapointed that we still have these kinds of problems. This topic makes me feel hopeless. I feel like I can't really do anything impactful against child labor. I just wish the government would imforce their anti-child labor laws more.

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Here is the VENN diagram I made for the similarities and differences. I did it kinda placing wrong for the similarities  an differences but it is still understandable. ( I swap/ switched their placing.)

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ILO - International Labor Organization

This organization checks the government is doing its part to help child labor and if ILO is not satisfied with the work then the case goes under investigation.

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(Enrico and Theo) Enrico: The biggest thing that needs to be done is, Putting children in school, stop the government form taking advantage from these kids. Give the kids a future. Instead of them having to work everyday all their lives, for nothing more then a little bit of money.

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They exploit children as young as 9 years old! They dont provide the right equipment to have safe expriences they dont even do that. They basically violate: ALL HUMAN RIGHTS!!!

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they make young children to work in a dangerous and toxic place, without giving them enough break time.

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I think the government should provide them with safer strategies for mining or collecting gold. If they suffocate while mining, the gonvernment should invest in giving them a better sorce of oxigen. Or, if they really want to be rid of child labor, they should investigate multiple factories or companies for any sign of child labor. I, personally, think it should be alright for children to cook in a restaurant, or help in a store, as long as they are in constant supervision and are restricted from using oil or ovens.

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this topic makes me feel really sad and conscious of what is happening around the world.

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Ok, we will!

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Should provide educational services to enhance teaching quality and improve learning spaces.

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The legal working age in France is of 16. There is barely no child labor found in these areas. This might be because France (and most countries in Europe), are well financially and do not need child laborers to fill up their pockets.

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sad...

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We thinkl they are bascially the same but the only diffrence is the type of work that they do.

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ok

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The ILO, (International labor organization)has multiple purposes such as oppressing child labor and doing as much as possible to stop or reduce child labor.

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ILO(International Labor Organization) promotes social justice,and internationally recognized human and labour rights.

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EVERYTHING, the system is failing.

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We learned this quarter that child labor affects they education of childs. Sometimes its hard to process or makes sense if its true. Also they child labor of these 3 places is bad, but in the different places there are different jobs.

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Child laborers are exposed to many dangers that can cause harm or even death. For example: burns, lung diseases, drowning, skin diseases and access to toxic elements (mercury).

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ILO - International Labor Organization does multiple things such as, helping that arekids in child labor by getting them an education, they also raise awerness of the world.

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The danger of drowning easily, Getting diseases from toxic chemicals, the pipe can break or slip out your mouth, lung over extension, can cause death and pain, rocks can fall on you and wood.

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We noticed that they work for there life,and also affected their bodies by getting burned, drowning,suffocating,in toxic elements(Mercury),and skin disease.

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so what I feel about this topic is I feel that this topic is very hard and cruel because it is children 9-17 mining in bad conditions and going underwater with poor saftey, so that is why I feel this way about the topic

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The ILO is an organization that attempts to give children an oportunity to have a good future and education. They attempt to oppress child labor to limit the kinds or labor they commit to.

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Nathan ben and fred (Nathan is writing this so give me a 7)

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Nathan ben and fred (Nathan is writing this so give me a 7)

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When children work they are exposed to many dangers. One danger they are exposed to is toxic materials such as mercury. Another danger they are vulnerable to is if there is a problem with the oxygen they receive from the pipes when they are underwater. If they fail the children could die.

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The government has many options to stop this event that is happening. But the biggest solution, which they mentioned in the video multiple times: How if the government would just care about supporting the not-as-fortunate people and support them so their children can go to school and break the cycle. This will solve every other problem.

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As we know child labor is a huge issue in various countries, and many times we hear polititions discuss about this topic and claim in their speaches that action has to taken. Morever, no one would disagree or contradict their alegation. However, are they realy doing what they claim in their speach? In reality a lot of these countries that gain a good quantity of money with child labor, end up just selling an empty speach. This also being the case with the Philippines, where large banks facture on top of inocent children. That happenes due to the fact that many of these children, live in poverty and are desparate for for food and money. In conclusion, inumerous of these children are exploited and end up working in hazardous envaiorments.

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ILO: is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that labour peace is essential to prosperity.

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We've noticed some dangers for child laborers: they are exposed to dangerous conditions like touching mercury, one of the most toxic metals. Also, exposing their body to severe health issues like bends and even skin infections. When underwater, there is a high possibility for the kids to have problems with their lungs which sometimes lead to death.

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When working in mines, children risk suffocation, problems with their lungs, diseses in their lungs or skin, or being exposed to toxic chemecals

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I noticed that children working in dangerous condition which can be get skin disease.

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Mnay children are working sometimes unsupervised and of supervised with no actual equipment. They also work with chemicals like mercury which can be very dangerous and lead to serious injurys/illness or even death.

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Research a country of interest to you? Brazil, South Africa, America, any country. What do you notice the biggest issue in that country is with child labor? How is this similar / different to what you have learned about Bolivia and the Philippines?

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Research a country of interest to you? Brazil, South Africa, America, any country. What do you notice the biggest issue in that country is with child labor? How is this similar / different to what you have learned about Bolivia and the Philippines?

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The biggest push factor is that successful people are the ones who finance child labor. They pay a much smaller price compared to paying for a real salary and good equipment. They make so much money and re invest it right back into the same stuff, every time putting more and more children into child labor, making the currupt investores more and more money.

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Poverty and deprivation being the major push factors for both male and female children, the situation is especially dire for girls as fewer resources are allocated to them at the household level. Also they will drop out of school since they need money to survive.

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Describe how this topic, and what you have learnt, makes you feel?

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Describe how this topic, and what you have learnt, makes you feel?

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In Germany the minimum work age is 15 to 18. I find this very interesting because there  is pretty much no child labor but they can start working at the age of 15, if they start working at the age of 14 that would be illegal.

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ILO=international Labor Organization, they are an agency which works in checking the countries laws on child labor, and if it isn't good enough they'll put it in under investigation.

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Children are working with the toxic chemical Mercury, this is especially bad with young children because their bodies are still developing. Plus, they dont have protection or masks for the work they are doing.

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This topic makes me feel very sad because how the people exploit kids and make them have terrible living conditions. I have learnt from these classes that kids are exploited all over the world because of money.

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the government needs to speak out loud so everyone is going to understand and stop child labor, but the government doesn't do anything to help children. The government has to take acton of what he does and stop everything before there isn't no more people to work for

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The goverment need to leet kids go to school because then tje will be smart and then have a job to earn money and then the econamy of the country would go up

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There are almost no human rights in child labor, they do not have the correct supplies to work in the mines that they do, everything is dangerous just so they don't need to spend money. these kids are working with mercury without any safety precautions which can cause brain damage or death

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This topic make us very disappointed. It is very hard to believe that while we are here studying and having a bright future and getting food on the table from our parents. They don't have a bright future ,and are doing a percentage of the work for their parents. It is very hard to believe that some work at the age of 9 or even less. We wish for the government to take action quickly before more kids lose they lives.

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(Enrico and Theo) Enrico: The big Push facter is that they take advantage of these kids age and sizes. To do the work that is to hard for most adults. Lets say a group of kids are working to find gold, and are succesfull. They sell the gold to others that will also sell it. Also small caves where adults that cant go through, so they take advantage of small children to get the minerals.

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Mostly money, local busisness men usually manipulate young underage children because they have advantages. They pay children a very low amount of money and then export that and make even more property.

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The government needs to actually take action instead of speaking or make a claim that they dont take action in

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Add a picture of your group's VENN diagram comparing the two countries' examples of child labor.

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Add a picture of your group's VENN diagram comparing the two countries' examples of child labor.

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Both of these countries have lot's of differences and similarities but one big thing both countries have are kids working (child labor). This is a huge problem because most work in mines which makes them die at a young age because of silicosis, and they may drown. They all work with similar things. They both are different and similar.

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children working with mercury, they don`t have a certified air supply when diving, no gas mask and more

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The push factors, are that the Philippines government are giving a little bit of money and they exploit to get more money. The parents are only putting their kids in danger because of the money.

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What are some of the "push factors" for countries who support a lower age for child labor?

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What are some of the "push factors" for countries who support a lower age for child labor?

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The dangerous of the kids in the Philippines dying from not having proper conditions and kids handling with mercury and etc.

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I think that the goverment needs to stop being capitalists and stop coming up with excuses and actually try to hear children out.

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A push factor would be the money, because it's the thing that motivates people to do anything and people would do anything for money, and profit

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The government needs to work to change the child labor laws. To protect the kids from dying and getting illnesses from there work.

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India, The Philippines, and Bolivia are all really different on the child labor aspect.
In Bolivia child labor is kind of normalized, its something a huge percentages of the family have to make their kids do child labor so they can provide a good lifestyle for their family. In the Philippines, a lot of kids start working a little later but they work in horrible conditions, small caves with no oxygen machinery and some of them have to work underwater which brings another huge area of concern for health. In India there are more laws and investigation towards child labor and more officers trying to stop it, although most of them are corrupt. In Bolivia and the Philippines, they mostly focus on mining with child labor because they need smaller bodies to do that. In India, child laborers do anything from agriculture, frames, etc..

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Children are handling mercury with their bare hands, walking around in toxic areas with no gas masks, etc.

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We need the government to actually take action

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The push factor, is for the capitalist part that wants to get more money and exploit kids.

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The children are working with toxix things.And Rocks can fall down in there heads.

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One of the things that needs to be done is ban kids from working in mines and making them go to school, but everybody know that won't happen. So one realistic solution is for the bank who is taking all/most of the money is give appropriate equipment that way they can make more money (the kids will go faster) and save more lives.