Prohibition of child labor is not a solution ″, world, dw

In many countries, even the smallest have to earn money to ensure the family’s livelihood. In general, you shouldn’t ban that, my experts. But it depends on the circumstances.

"Politicians are calling for a 35-hour week for children and adolescents" was a headline in the German newspapers a few weeks ago. Schoolchildren should not work more than adults, said CDU family politician Martin Patzelt. The background to the debate is the fact that many children and adolescents sometimes spend as much time at school as adults do full-time jobs. In a survey conducted by the German Children’s Fund and Unicef ​​in 2012, the students surveyed stated that they spent around 38.5 hours per week on school matters. From the ninth to the thirteenth grade, it should even be up to 45 hours.

In many countries around the world, such a debate seems completely foreign. Because children don’t work for theirs here education, but to ensure the family’s livelihood. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, there are 168 million child laborers worldwide – boys and girls who regularly work for several hours. According to the ILO, 85 million children even work under exploitative conditions – that is, they work in dangerous places such as quarries or commercial plantations, they do night work, they work far too long or are treated like slaves.

Good and bad child labor?

Barbara Küppers from Terre des Hommes advocates a differentiated approach

Child labor is particularly widespread in Asia, Africa and Latin America – wherever there is great poverty. Aid organizations such as Terre des Hommes are committed to the needs of these children and their families. They surprisingly say that it is not helpful to ban child labor in general. Rather, it is important to draw a clear line between exploitative and non-exploitative child labor.

"We try to strengthen and support those children who work in non-exploitative conditions so that they improve their marketing, earn more money in less time and thus have more time for school or leisure", explains Barbara Küppers, head of the Children’s Rights Unit at Terre des Hommes. There are areas in the world where children would not have to suffer from the fact that they often contribute to the family’s livelihood, often in rural conditions: "Work means slowly learning to participate, slowly learning how things grow, how the harvest works and how you can achieve something together with others. These are very positive aspects of work." It is important that school education takes place in addition to work.

Children as harvest helpers

Manfred Liebel, political scientist at the Technical University of Berlin and advisor to the "Union of working boys, girls and adolescents in Bolivia": "In Bolivia, indigenous traditions play an important role. They stipulate that children take part in the work from an early age. Harvesting or fishing play an important role in this regard."

Supportive work by children in agriculture was also widespread in Germany until a few decades ago. The autumn holidays used to be called in many places "potato Holiday", because the rural students had to help with the potato harvest in the farms during this time.

Nevertheless, Barbara Küppers warns against romanticizing child labor: "This does not mean that one finds forms of exploitation great only because it has always been so in a certain culture. You have to talk to the children yourself about what you can do with them and for them."

The caste system in India promotes exploitative work

A traditional form of exploitation is common in India. With the so-called Sumangali system there is a form of modern slavery that is deeply rooted in society. Young girls – mostly members of the lowest caste – are spinning and manufacturing companies with a multi-year contract "apprentices" hired. The contracts are often not concluded directly with the textile companies, but with middlemen who recruit the girls from the surrounding villages. The parents receive some money from the middlemen, which they then use as a subsidy for the bride price of their daughters, which has to be paid to the groom’s family when married. The girls then work at starvation wages and without contact with the outside world in the factories.

Exploitation and modern forms of slavery not only affect children, but can be found wherever material need compels people to take any form of gainful employment, no matter how bad. Therefore, exploitative child labor can only be effectively prevented if exploitative labor is generally declared a fight, says Barbara Küppers.

Consumer responsibility

An exotic on the mobile phone market: that produced on fair terms "fair Phone"

"Many of the things that we offer for sale have come about through the exploitation of people – adults and children", so Küppers. All customers are responsible for this: "As a consumer, you can make sure that you buy fair trade products when you can." Not only the T-shirt for three euros, but also the expensive smartphone is generally the result of inhumane working conditions. "Many people are amazed when you say that in cell phones solid Slave labor is involved", so Küppers.

However, there are also positive signs: child labor has declined by a third since 2000, and the trend is rising, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). "It is no secret what to do", says ILO Director General Guy Ryder: "social safety Together with universal, mandatory and good education, at least up to the minimum age to start work, decent work for adults and young people, effective legislation and strong social dialogue are the right answers to child labor."

The editors recommend

Unicef ​​report: children in need

According to Unicef, one child dies every five seconds, millions of children are exploited or discriminated against. With its latest report, the UN Children’s Fund is calling for more commitment to children worldwide. (06.25.2014)

T-shirts for the world market – cheaply produced

There are around 200 textile factories around Myanmar’s capital, Yangon. Up to 100,000 workers, mostly women and also children, produce pants, T-shirts and shirts on behalf of American and European companies. (06.11.2014)

Child labor in Bolivia

Child labor is outlawed internationally. But in Bolivia children are fighting for their right to work. It is vital for many families. (06.14.2014)

Silberhorn: "We have a global responsibility"

Germany is partly responsible for decent employment in countries like Bangladesh, says Thomas Silberhorn, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Development. (04.06.2014)

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