Assessment 1 Part B: Child Labour Case Study Individual Report

This report is an individual case study analysis of child labour, focusing on the arguments for and against banning all forms of it within supply chains. The report begins with an introduction to the concept of child labour, defining it as work that deprives children of their childhood and potential, and highlighting its violation of human rights. The main body delves into the global prevalence of child labour, citing statistics on affected children and the industries where it is most common, such as agriculture and mining. It explores the role of poverty as a primary driver, and examines health risks associated with child labour. The report also examines the ILO's role and its conventions. The conclusion summarizes the critical aspects of child labour and suggests potential strategies for reducing its prevalence, advocating for increased education and improved living standards. The report includes a detailed reference list and a table showing distribution of child labour by industry.

A4 case study individual
report

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Individual report on child labour.................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Child labour has long been a source of concern for child rights advocates around the world.
Child labour is described as work that robs children of their childhood, their potential, and their
integrity while also harming their mental and physical growth (Chakraborty and Chakraborty,
2016). Child labour is a violation of basic human rights that has been shown to interfere with
children's development, potentially leading to long-term physical and psychological harm. As a
result of massive capitalism, businesses are employing children in order to increase profits while
lowering manufacturing costs, since children are paid less than adults and are unaware of their
rights. Enslavement of infants, alienation of children from their families, and exposing of
children to hazards and harsh working conditions are among the worst types of child labour.
Child labour perform about those condition within which child is required work for hours and
has to face various conditions that is harsh as per child’s age. Different countries have different
laws in place when it comes to child labour.
MAIN BODY
Individual report on child labour
Child labour is one of the most dangerous situations for each and every country of the
world. Half of the 152 million children worldwide who are victims of child labour are between
the ages of 5 and 11. 12 to 14-year-olds account for 28% of the number, while 15 to 17-year-olds
account for 24%. Children between the ages of 15 and 17 are the most vulnerable to dangerous
types of child labour. Boys are the most vulnerable to child labour, with 58 percent of children in
child labour and 62 percent of all children in hazardous work in the world being boys, according
to ILO figures (Edouard and Pokou, 2019). Approximately 40,000 children work in cobalt
mines, according to UNICEF, for shifts of up to 24 hours, with the majority receiving less than
two dollars a day. Working conditions in mines are dangerous and detrimental to children's
physical and psychological development. The children use machetes and spades to dig deep
excavations with their bare hands. Child labour takes multiple forms, according to the ILO, and
eliminating the worst forms of child labour is a top priority. Slavery and activities that are close
to slavery, such as the selling and exploitation of children for labour, forced and compulsory
labour, and the forced recruitment of children to fight in armed conflicts, are all considered the
worst types of child labour. Poverty is regarded as the leading cause of child labour, as it

deprives children of access to education and the acquisition of human skills. Poverty is
perpetuated by a lack of knowledge and human skills among low-income households. Poverty
continues, pushing parents to send their children to work to supplement the family's income. As a
result, businesses take advantage of desperate children in search of work in order to raise
revenue.
Since children are unskilled, they are subjected to hazardous and stressful work that puts
them in danger, while still being paid a pittance of less than two dollars. Since these children are
unable to return to school to obtain an education, they must continue to work in the mines until
they are adults with families (Ferdousi and Faruk, 2016). The cycle of poverty continues because
families lack the financial means to educate their children, forcing them to seek work in the
mines. The ILO's key instrument on child labour is the Minimum Age Convention, No. 138,
adopted in 1973. The age requirement for admission into the workforce is 16 years, while the age
requirement for hazardous jobs is 18 years. Despite the ILO's instrument, about 73 million
children between the ages of 10 and 14 operate around the world. The International Labour
Organization (ILO) initiated a technical assistance initiative called the International Programme
on the Elimination of Child Labour in order to assist countries in developing long-term capacity
to counter child labour (IPEC). The ILO's key efforts focused on three priority groups: children
in forced labour and bondage, children under the age of 12, and children working in hazardous

environments. Working girls are given special consideration among the three categories because
they are more vulnerable to exploitation and harassment. The ILO Convention No. 138
establishes the minimum age for jobs and work. One of the most important methods for
preventing children from starting work at a young age is to set a minimum age for work entry.
The ILO instrument on minimum age has as its aim the successful abolition of child labour by
compelling countries to set a minimum age for entry to work and to develop national policies to
do so (Gordeev and Gordeeva, 2017).
Table 1. Distribution of child labour and health hazards by industry for 26 countries
% of all economically active children in
industry
illnesses / injuries per 100 economically
active children
1. Agriculture, hunting, forestry
& fishing
70.4% 12.2%
2. Manufacturing 8.3% 9.3%
3. Wholesale & retail
trade, hotels &
restaurants
8.3% 8.3%
4. Community social
and personal
services
6.5% 7.8%
5. Transport /
storage/
communications
3.8% 18.1%
6. Construction 1.9% 25.6%
7. Mining & quarrying 0.9% 15.9%
Source: Ashagrie, 1998, Tables 3 & 6.
In relation to health effects of child labour has been made children getting exposed to
health risk which leads over sever injury. The dangers can be evident and pose an immediate
threat to one's health, such as those associated with the use of hazardous tools and machinery in
building, manufacturing, and mining, as well as exposure to high temperatures which makes
them feel more heat and damages their eyes. Alternatively, the threats can be less obvious but
have long-term health effects, such as dangers from exposure to dust, bacteria, pollutants, and
pesticides, carrying large loads, and being forced to adopt bad posture. Psychological wellbeing
can also be jeopardised as a result of abusive relationships with employers, managers, or
customers. The impact of child labour over health is based upon the kinds of conditioned
children are exposed too. Child labour has been spreader over various kinds of industries and has
been affecting children’s health form very long time. Though it has not affected in drastic
manner but is responsible for children bad health. As Children gets more and more impacts due
to kind of exposure they are facing on day to day basis(Ola-Alani and Abidogun, 2020). Children
shown to be more vulnerable over things like noise, humidity, lead and silica contamination, and
ionising radiation than adults. The last point of the previous sub-section suggests that child

labour can have a positive effect on children's health. Although children’s since they are working
at very young age which makes them attain physiological impact due to basic factors like food,
clothes and house. Also it increases maturity within them at early age. This leads them becoming
criminal at times. Positive impact of child labour on health can only been developed when
children are not working in factories where they get exposed to unnatural substances.
This is a logical and compelling point in the context of extreme poverty. However, there
are a few things to keep in mind. To begin, any beneficial influence of child labour on health
through improved living standards must be balanced against the negative impact of occupational
health hazards. A child and his or her family can enjoy a few years of fruitful work before being
involved in an accident and losing both their livelihood and their health. This possible risk means
that empirical research would be difficult. While many of the health threats that child labourers
face pose an immediate threat to their health, others are more likely to grow over time and
present themselves only as adults. In agriculture, mining and quarrying, and manufacturing,
pesticides, chemicals, dusts, and carcinogenic agents raise the risk of bronchial complaints,
cancers, and a number of diseases (Yıldızca and Büke, 2019).
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above that child labour is a very critical aspect and each
country must try to reduce the rate of it so that it can add value to the economy of the country
and also increase the education and standard of living which can prove very crucial in the long
run.

REFERENCES
Books journals
Chakraborty, K. and Chakraborty, B., 2016. Child labour ban versus Education subsidy in a
model with learning by doing effect in unskilled work.
Edouard, D. and Pokou, A., 2019. A Re-Examination of the Determinants of Child Labour in CÃ
´ te d’ Ivoire. International Journal of Economics and Financial Research, 5(2),
pp.26-35.
Ferdousi, K. and Faruk, M.A.R., 2016. Involvement of child labour in aquaculture activities in
Mymensingh district, Bangladesh. Research in Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries,
3(3), pp.433-442.
Gordeev, I.A. and Gordeeva, M.I., 2017. HISTORY OF LEGISLATION DEVELOPMENT
ABOUT CHILD LABOUR IN RUSSIA TILL OCTOBER 1917. Proceedings of the
Southwest State University, 21(6), pp.201-211.
Ola-Alani, E.K. and Abidogun, B.G., 2020. THE IMPACT OF CHILD LABOUR ON
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN OLORIN EAST,
KWASA STATE, NIGERIA. UNESWA Journal of Education (UJOE).
Yıldızca, İ. and Büke, B., 2019. Migrant Child Labour in Turkey: A critical analysis of
multilevel governance targeting migrant child labour in Turkey.