Child Labour

All over the world, especially in the less-developed countries, an immeasurable amount of children have been involved in child labour, and its prevalence has now sparked much concern. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there were approximately 153 million child labourers aged 5-14 worldwide in 2008 and this figure has increased to 250 million recently. The ILO also found that 60% of the child labour was engaged in agricultural work such as farming, dairy and fisheries. The other major types of work were in service industries and manufacturing, 25% and 15% respectively (Diallo, et al., 2010). Among some feasible solutions, one area where government policy decisions could have a rapid and effective impact on child labour is public education. Special foundations for children to return to schools and popularize compulsory education could help address the problem of child labour. These strategies would have both immediate and long-term effects on children’s unfair working.

Education would have an immediate effect on child labour (Bellamy, 1999). It can offer a bright future and a chance for improved health and safety, as well as economic growth. It can deal with hazardous conditions of domestic servitude, perilous labour and trafficking. Efforts to spur quality primary education for all children, including special educational strategies for working children through flexible schooling hours would encourage children to stop working. Equivalent out-of-school education programmes for children would help children to make a right decision. Furthermore, educated children could then strongly influence other child labourers, augmenting and influencing a number of changes in children’s behavior (UNICEF, 1999). These education-based measures therefore have the potential to give rise to the rapid improvement of child labour issues

As well as this immediate effect on child labour, free and compulsory education of good quality up to the minimum age for working would have profound effects on long-term sustainable change. Hazardous and stressful working conditions exposed to youth workers may lead them to develop their personality inappropriately, and it would have a negative effect on them when they become an adult. Thus, constant compulsory schooling would play a key role in building the long-term positive way of thinking. In order to bring about changes to the educational system and deter employers from hiring child laborers governments may need to enforce new strong legislation. Establishing teacher training and mobilizing teachers’ organizations would be helpful for poor children