Child labour “in a nutshell”

A Resource for Pacific Island Countries

Child labour “in a nutshell”

A Resource for Pacific Island Countries

1
Copyright © International Labour Organization 2014
First published 2014

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Child labour "in a nutshell" - A Resource for Pacific Island Countries, International Labour
Office, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) – Geneva: ILO,
2014, 40 p

978-92-2-129075-9 (print), 978-92-2-129076-6 (web pdf)

ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data

Acknowledgements
ILO resources adapted to produce this guide include Child Labour Information Kit for
Teachers, Educators; Safe Work for Youth; Forging linkages between child labour and youth
employment programmes across the Asia and the Pacific; Marking progress against child
labour; Child Labour Handbook for Labour Inspectors. Printing coordination by Marie Jane
Fatiaki (ILO Suva) and designed by Mere Corerega and Peter Blumel.

The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations
practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion
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Artwork/imagery by: Photos in the publication are the property of the ILO.
Printed in Suva, Fiji by Max Marketing

2
Table of contents
Foreword 4

Child Labour: A Global Snapshot 5

Defini ons 6

Child Labour or Not Child Labour? 9

The Nature of Exploita ve Work 11

Where Children Work 13

The Minimum Age Conven on, No. 138, 1973 21

The Worst Forms of Child Labour Conven on, 23

No. 182, 1999

Hazardous Work 25

Child Labour to be Eliminated 26

Linking Child Labour and Youth Employment 27

Young Workers - Child Labourers 29

Protec ng Young Workers 31

Checklist for Young Workers 34

Checklist for Parents before your Child Starts Working 36

3
Foreword

Child labour research studies conducted by the Interna onal

Labour Organiza on’s TACKLE (Tackling child labour though
educa on) programme, funded by the European Union,
found that children in the Pacific Islands Coun es can
be suscep ble to the worst forms of child labour, such as
hazardous work, illicit ac vi es, and commercial sexual
exploita on. Poverty, illiteracy, poor academic performance
and lack of employment opportuni es aggravate risk and
vulnerability to exploita on and abuse.

In the Pacific however, informa on and understanding on

child labour is s ll lacking. This resource has been produced
to enhance the knowledge base on child labour for Pacific
Island Countries. "In a nutshell", it clarifies child labour
concepts and the ILO child labour Conven ons and highlights
the links between child labour and youth employment and
the steps one can take to be er protect young workers.

David Lamo e
Director,
ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries

4
CHILD LABOUR: A GLOBAL SNAPSHOT1

• There are 168 million child labourers worldwide, over

half are in the worst forms of child labour.

• The number of child labourers has fallen by one third

during the last decade but the pace of decline is not
sufficient to reach the 2016 target of eradica ng the
worst forms of child labour.

• There are s ll 85 million children – more than half of all

child labourers – who are involved in hazardous work
which directly endangers children’s health, safety and
moral development.

• The largest absolute number of child labourers is in the

Asia-Pacific region (78 million), but Sub-Saharan Africa
con nues to be the region with the highest incidence
of child labour (21 per cent of 5-17 year-olds, or 59
million).

• Asia and the Pacific however registered the largest

decline in child labour, from 114 million in 2008 to 78
million in 2012.

• The number of child labourers also decreased in Sub-

Saharan Africa (by 6 million), and modestly in La n
America and the Caribbean (by 1.6 million). There are
9.2 million child labourers in the Middle East and North
Africa.
1
ILO Global Es mates 2012; Marking Progress Against Child Labour
h p://www.ilo.org/ipec/Informa onresources/WCMS_221513/lang--en/index.htm
5
DEFINITIONS

“Child” means every human being below the age of

eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the
child, majority is a ained earlier.(UN Conven on on
the Rights of the Child, Ar cle 1). “… shall apply to all
persons under the age of 18.” (ILO Conven on on the
Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999, Ar cle 2)

“Economic ac vity” is a broad concept that covers

most produc ve ac vi es undertaken by children,
whether for the market or not, paid or unpaid, for a
few hours or full me, on a casual or regular basis,
legal or illegal; it excludes chores undertaken in the
child’s own household and schooling. To be counted as
economically ac ve, a child must have worked for at
least one hour on any day during a seven-day reference
period. “Economically ac ve children” is a sta s cal
rather than a legal no on.

“Child labour” is a narrower concept than “economically

ac ve children”, excluding all those children aged 12
years and older who are working only a few hours a
week in permi ed light work and those aged 15 years
and above whose work is not classified as “hazardous”.

6
“Hazardous work” by children is any ac vity or
occupa on that, by its nature or type, has or leads to
adverse effects on the child’s safety, health (physical or
mental) and moral development. Hazards could also
derive from excessive workload, physical condi ons of
work, and/or work intensity in terms of the dura on or
hours of work even where the ac vity or occupa on is
known to be non-hazardous or “safe”.

“Worst Forms of Child Labour” is the types of child

labour seen as par cularly terrible or dreadful, by the
interna onal community that they have agreed that
there should be urgent ac on to eliminate, as a priority,
these worst forms of child labour. These are mainly
criminal ac vi es such as children working under
condi ons of slave-like prac ces, in bonded labour
and in the armed forces; children in commercial sexual
exploita on and trafficked; children used to traffic drugs
and working under hazardous working condi ons and
environments.

7
8
CHILD LABOUR OR NOT CHILD LABOUR?

All over the world, children start working at a very early

age. At the age of six or seven, they may be helping
around the home sharing household chores, running
errands and helping their parents in the fields. These
ac vi es are o en encouraged by adults in the family
because it is believed that such ac vi es can be
beneficial to a child’s growth and development. Work
in this sense becomes a door to the world of adult
work and earning and is part of the progression from
childhood to adulthood.

Unfortunately, many children are doing work which,

far from having a posi ve effect on their lives, actually
impedes their growth and development. This is what is
known as child labour. All work which is harmful to a
child’s health and development is child labour!

Many working children are forced to work without

sufficient rest, in cramped spaces, with poor ligh ng,
seated on the bare ground, using tools that are too big
for them, without adequate drinking water or toilets,
and no chance to go to school.

9
Even the many millions of children who work in
tradi onal agriculture as part of the family unit are
exposed to risk from a wide variety of hazards. The
younger the children are, the more vulnerable they
are to hazards at the workplace and to economic
exploita on. The situa on of young girls deserves
par cular a en on because of the nature of their work
and the condi ons under which they work. For example,
work that is hidden from public view, such as domes c
service (a major sector of girls’ employment) may keep
them isolated from other children and exposed to
violence and sexual abuse.

Child labour deprives children of their right to educa on and

is harmful to their physical, moral and mental development.

The concern is with children who are denied their childhood

and a future, who work at too young an age, who work long
hours for low wages, who work under condi ons harmful to
their health and to their physical and mental development,
who are separated from their families, and who are deprived
of educa on. This can create irreversible damage to the child
and is in viola on of interna onal law and usually, na onal
legisla on.

10
THE NATURE OF EXPLOITATIVE WORK

The dangers that children face vary with the kind of

work that they do. Here are some examples of the
threats child labourers face:

● Dangerous work - Work in hazardous condi ons

that can cause serious injuries, disease and even
death.
● Working too young - Work that prevents children
from going to school and deprives them of the
chance to enjoy their childhood. Young children
lack physical, mental and psychological maturity
necessary for work.
● Long hours - Work that can last from 12 to 16 hours
a day, some mes for 7 days a week. Children
frequently suffer from physical and mental
exhaus on.
● Bondage and slavery - Work whereby children and
their families a empt to pay off a debt or loan.
Some children are born into an enslaved family,
others may be kidnapped or sold to employers.
● Strenuous work - Physically demanding work.
Heavy work can affect normal growth and can
cause emo onal distress.

11
● Sexual exploita on - Exploita on of children for
sexual purposes, pros tu on and sexual abuse.
Girls, but boys too, who are subjected to any kind
of sexual exploita on are vulnerable to sexually
transmi ed diseases, AIDS and psychological
trauma.
● Violence and abuse - Bea ngs, physical punishment
and verbal abuse. Employers may take advantage
of children’s docile nature and vulnerability with
devasta ng effects on their physical and mental
well-being.
● Heavy responsibili es - Work requiring a level of
responsibility for which the child is too young and
ill-prepared.

What kind of work should children never do?

• Work that violates children’s fundamental rights as

human beings.
• Work that is dangerous or threatening, that exhausts
their strength, damages their bodies and takes
advantage of their young age.
• Work that harms their growing up or robs them of their
childhood.
• Work that prevents them from going to school and
gaining basic skills and knowledge for their growth and
future.

12
WHERE CHILDREN WORK

Work in the informal sector

Working children everywhere, especially those in
the developing world, tend to be concentrated in
the informal sector of the economy. Their work is
not “official” - there is no government employment
agency or tax authority that knows the children are
working because they are not officially employed. The
people they work for are in many cases unregistered
as employers. For some work, the children receive no
payment, only some food and a place to sleep. Children
in informal sector work have no job security, receive no
payment if they are injured or become ill, and can seek
no protec on if they are maltreated by their employer.
And many of these children are working even though
their country’s child labour laws prohibit them from
doing so.

Interna onal organiza ons and others concerned with

child labour have turned their a en on to the informal
economy. This term includes agriculture, domes c
service, a host of informal manufacturing ac vi es,
mining, street vending, and a large number of other
occupa ons.

13
Rojaline, 12 years old,scavenger
“I started working as a garbage scavenger two years ago when I le
school. I go from place to place, looking through garbage for things
that I can sell. I have to walk a lot to find the good garbage and
some mes I even go to the airport which is 5 or 6 miles from where
I live. I get out early every morning before the other scavengers
take all the good stuff.
It's also important to
go through the rubbish
before the people wake
up. If they see us in front
of their houses, they
get angry and chase
us away because they
think we are going to
steal their things.”

Tasks
Collec ng and selling reusable materials from garbage
heaps.
Hazards
Burns from explosions caused by combus on of refuse;
cuts from glass and metal; exposure to dangerous and
toxic household and hospital substances; smoke and fume
inhala on; danger of being run over by trucks and bulldozers,
par cularly at night; tempta on to eat ro en food; risk of
becoming a vic m of violence at the hands of drunks, gangs,
etc.
Consequences
Infected wounds some mes resul ng in death from
tetanus; chemical poisoning from toxic substances; risk of
contrac ng infec ous diseases from decaying refuse; food
poisoning;poten ally lethal accidents from combus ble
materials, bulldozers, trucks, etc.

14
Work in urban environments
Child labour occurs in nearly all large ci es and towns
in the developing world mainly because of the greater
availability of children who need to work, as people
migrate to the towns and ci es from the rural areas.
The result is frequently urban poverty, and many of
these working children live in unhealthy slum areas and
work in poor surroundings. This large category includes
children working:
as domes cs inside the homes of others; in
restaurants, hotels and shops; in small workshops
of many kinds; with their families in home work,
or – if they are girls - as child minders for younger
siblings (which is necessary so that their parents
can engage in income-producing work; as vendors
of a vast assortment of small goods; to perform
services such as shining shoes; to cater to tourist
needs or work in the markets as porters and
carriers; to scavenge through garbage dumps for
saleable objects, or they work in construc on or
brick making.

Many of these children live at home with their families

but some live on the streets. Unless they are on their
own, children do not usually keep their earnings for
themselves, and the money they bring home can be
essen al to their family’s survival.

15
Rahima, 10 years old,
domes c child worker
Rahima was a domes c
child worker earning
just over US$ 1 a month.
She worked for two
years without any me
off. She could not even
visit her parents' house.
Her employer beat her
regularly. When the violence became too much, she ran away. One
of the neighbours saw her and took her to the police sta on. An
“ASK”* inves gator was there at the me and he took her to the
hospital for treatment. A case was filed on behalf of her mother
against her employer. But while the case was in progress, the
employer se led the ma er by offering her mother about US$ 460.
She accepted the money and withdrew the case. Rahima went back
to the village with her mother. (ASK is an organizaƟon in Bangladesh that
assists working children with health, educaƟon and legal issues)

Tasks
All types of domes c work, including looking a er young
siblings, cooking, cleaning and laundry.
Hazards
Long working hours; risk of physical and sexual abuse at the
hands of the employer; strenuous and demeaning tasks;
isola on from one's family and society.
Consequences
Poor physical and emo onal health due to demanding and
demeaning nature of work and the lack of basic facili es;
risk of physical injury and psychological trauma as a result of
harassment and abuse; emo onal distress due to poor living
and working condi ons, ill-treatment by the employer and
isola on from the family.

16
Child domesƟc service
Children in domes c service, consis ng largely of
young girls, perform a wide variety of tasks tradi onally
done by women in the household, such as looking a er
children, preparing food, house cleaning, washing and
ironing, and caring for the sick. These young women
make an important economic contribu on as they
free their parents or employers, especially women, to
pursue more remunera ve employment in the na onal
workforce.

However the value of their contribu on remains

unrecognized and overlooked. In fact, even though
children in domes c service are likely to be among
the most vulnerable and exploited of all, they are also
the most difficult to protect. While their economic
par cipa on is largely unrecognized, young girls are
increasingly subjected to work-related hazards and
exploita on. Sexual advances and physical and verbal
abuse ins gated either by employers and co-workers
are common. As children, they are being deprived of
their right to childhood, and opportuni es for self-
development and educa on.”

Source: Thijs, 1997: Child labour: Trendsand challenges in Asia

17
Yog, 12 years old, tea
planta on worker
“My father is always
sick and I’m the oldest
child so it's up to my
mother and me to
earn the money for the
family. I earn just over
12 rupees (25 US cents)
a day. For that I have to
pick 16 kilos of leaves and carry them to a weighing centre. It’s
about a mile from the gardens and the heavy load makes me very
red. Most of the me I feel ill! I o en get sick with stomach and
headaches and I cut and bruise myself all the me. A li le while
ago, I got this deep cut from the sickle. I have to keep it bandaged
with a rag. We don’t get any help if we are sick. There are no days
off. Every day is a working day, whether you are sick or not.”

Tasks
Cul va ng the land; plan ng and picking coffee, co on,
sugar cane, fer lizing, etc.; using tools, machinery and
agrochemicals.
Hazards
Unsafe machinery, dangerous substances; long and strenuous
work; working in extreme weather condi ons for hours at a
me; lack of basic facili es.
Consequences
Chemical poisoning (chronic and acute) o en undiagnosed
or a ributed to non-occupa onal causes; physical injuries
due to accidents with dangerous tools and machinery;
general poor health due to lack of adequate facili es; spine
problems due to bad posture required by the work; iIlness
due to exposure to harsh weather condi ons.

18
Children in agriculture
On a global scale, far more children work in rural than in
urban areas, thus the ac vi es most working children
perform are in fields and on farms. This can include
caring for animals and livestock and doing many other
tasks. Some of these children work with their families
and live at home. Others go out to work for employers,
such as rural land-owners, on a daily basis, and s ll
others work for employers far from their families,
some mes under arrangements that are neither legal
nor beneficial to the child. Children can also be in forced
and bonded labour in agriculture- an arrangement from
which the child cannot easily escape unless “rescued”
by some outsider.

Figure 1: Sector distribu on of child labour

19
Children in manufacturing
Especially in the developing countries, many thousands
of children work in manufacturing enterprises producing
a range of goods - garments, toys, matches, brassware,
soccer balls, etc. These produc on units can be large,
but most are quite small and labour-intensive, meaning
that most opera ons are done by hand rather than
machines. The children usually work indoors under
strict surveillance. Things can also be manufactured
within households, with the whole family involved in
the produc on of simple items, or even en re carpets,
that have been contracted out to them on a piecework
basis.

Waged child labour in manufacturing and services is

generally more rigid and harsh. Hours of work are longer
and inflexible, such that children are mostly out of
school. Enterprises in which children are employed are
commonly very small, and operate as subcontractors
for larger firms. Such subcontrac ng firms are o en
informal, with a limited life, and unregistered. The
condi ons under which both adults and children work
are o en very poor, and working hours of more than 12
hours a day are not unusual.

20
THE MINIMUM AGE CONVENTION, NO. 138, 1973

• The ILO Minimum Age Conven on Ra fied by PNG

(2000; 16 years);
(No. 138) calls on countries to fix Fiji (2002; 15
a minimum age for employment; years); Samoa
abolish child labour; and (2008; 15 years);
progressively raise the minimum Kiriba (2009; 14
age of employment to the years); Solomon Is
(2013; 14 years)
appropriate level.
• This applies to all economic sectors and to all working
children whether they are employed for wages or
working on their own account.
• Basic Minimum Age - The minimum age for work
should not be below the age for finishing compulsory
schooling, which is generally 15.
• Hazardous work - Any work which is likely to
jeopardize children’s physical, mental or moral
health and safety should not be done by anyone
under the age of 18.
• Light work - Children between the ages of 13 and
15 years old may do light work, as long as it does
not threaten their health and safety, or hinder their
educa on or voca onal orienta on and training.
• The Conven on does not forbid all child work. Age
appropriate work that does not nega vely affect a
child’s health and development or interfere with
schooling is generally regarded as posi ve.

21
What is Light Work?

Light work is work or in a workplace in which members

of the same family or of communal or religious group
are employed provided that:

a) the employment is not likely to be harmful to the

health or development of the child; and
b) the employment does not nega vely affect the
child’s a endance at school, or par cipa on in
voca onal orienta on or training programmes
approved by a competent authority
c) the employment does not nega vely affect the
capacity of the child to benefit from the instruc on
received.
Example of Light Work condiƟons in Fiji under the
Employment RelaƟons PromulgaƟon, 2007
• Children should not work more than 12 hours per week!
On school days, children should only work up to two
hours a day!
• Employment must be outside of school hours!
• Employment must be outside school hours and is not
prejudicial to the child’s a endance at school
• The employer must obtain a medical cer ficate!
• Parental consent must be obtained!
• The work is not in an industrial undertaking or in the
fishing industry; and the work is not injurious or likely to
be injurious.
A child cannot work before six in the morning and aŌer six
in the evening, on any day.

22
THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOUR CONVENTION,
NO. 182, 1999

• The ILO Worst Forms of Child Ra fied by PNG

Labour Conven on (No. 182) (2000); Fiji (2002);
calls for “immediate and Vanuatu (2006);
effec ve measures to secure the Samoa (2008);
prohibi on and elimina on of Kiriba (2009);
Solomon Is (2012)
the worst forms of child labour
as a ma er of urgency.”
• The Conven on applies to everyone under the age
of 18 years.
• Effec ve, me-bound preventa ve ac on is
required, including the iden fica on of children at
special risk and taking into account the special
situa on of girls.
• Children in the worst forms of child labour must be
removed and rehabilitated, and have access to free
basic educa on or voca onal training.

23
The worst forms of child labour (WFCL) are defined
as:

a. All forms of slavery or prac ces similar to slavery,

such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt
bondage and serfdom, as well as forced labour,
including forced or compulsory recruitment of
children for use in armed conflict;
b. The use, procurement or offering of a child for
pros tu on, for the produc on of pornography or
for pornographic performances;
c. The use, procurement or offering of a child for illicit
ac vi es, in par cular for the produc on and
trafficking of drugs ….;
d. Work, which by its nature or circumstances in
which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health,
safety or morals of children (hazardous work),
such harmful work to be determined by na onal
authori es.

In prepara on for consulta ons on hazardous child labour,

stakeholders should find out where in the labour market such
hazardous forms of work are being performed by persons
under 18. This should include iden fying specific enterprises
and workplaces. A en on should also be paid to hazardous
work in the informal sector, for example in domes c service
and agriculture.

24
HAZARDOUS WORK

Children and young people under the age of 18 CANNOT

BE EMPLOYED IN HIGH RISK OR HAZARDOUS WORK,
for example, in work involving:

• the use of dangerous machinery

• use of dangerous substances
• handling harsh or toxic chemicals
• high eleva on work
• service of alcohol
• gaming or gambling service
• nudity
• working with extreme temperatures
• heavy construc on and excava on work
• work underground, underwater, at dangerous
heights, and in confined spaces
• work which involves the manual handling or
transport of heavy loads
• work with extreme noise levels, or vibra ons
• work under par cularly dangerous condi ons
including long hours, night work
• work where the child is unreasonably confined to
the premises of the employer.

25
 CHILD LABOUR TO BE ELIMINATED

Figure 2. Basic dis nc ons in ILO child labour standards

18

15
Age in Years

12

Work excluded Light work Non-hazardous Hazardous UncondiƟonal

from minimum work work worst forms of
age legislaƟon child labour

Shaded area = child labour for aboli on

The minimum age for admission to employment or work is determined by naƟonal legislaƟon
and can be set as 14, 15 or 16 years.
The minimum age at which light work is permissible can be set at 12 or 13 years.
For example, household chores, work in family undertakings and work undertaken as part of
educaƟon.

26
LINKING CHILD LABOUR AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

Child labour, youth unemployment and under

employment impose both social and economic costs.
The goals of preven ng child labour and improving
employment opportuni es for youth through
ensuring formal educa on, voca onal training
and appren ceships, as well as making sure that
young workers are healthy to available employment
opportuni es, all reinforce each other for the
be erment of the economy and society.

The forma ve experiences of childhood and youth

shape people’s access to decent work and enable
them to enjoy security and protec on for the rest of
their lives. Educa on is the first step. Employment
opportuni es represent the next step.

The school-to-work transi on is very important for

young women and men. If nothing is done, child
labourers become youth with poor employment
prospects who cannot li their own families out of a
poverty trap, cannot become parents who give their
children a be er life, and cannot contribute effec vely
to na onal development.

27
 Figure 3. Decent work over the lifecycle

Adolescence and Youth

Human resources development,
Transi on from school to work

Childhood
Educa on,
Physical, Mental
and Emo onal
Development 4 PILLARS OF DECENT WORK
• Standards and Fundamental
Principles and Rights at Work
• Employment
• Social protec on
• Social dialogue

Old Age Adulthood

Quality
Produc ve and secure
employment,
ageing, Social Protec on
Equitable, adequate
and secure incomes,
Balancing paid work,
unpaid work and
care work, Life-long
learning

Source: Adapted from ILO, 2006. Realizing Decent Work in Asia: 14th Asian Regional Mee ng,
Buzan, Republic of Korea. Bangkok: ILO.

28
YOUNG WORKERS- CHILD LABOURERS

An es mated 85 million children under 18 years old

are doing work which poses a physical, psychosocial or
moral danger to them. Of these – about 48 million – are
young people whose work could be considered legal if
there was minimal risk or if they were well-trained and
well-protected from the hazards.

As young people are s ll in a stage of rapid growth

and development they are less experienced and more
vulnerable to exploita on, and are therefore more
likely to be hurt or made ill from their job than are adult
workers.

For children under the minimum age for work – the

response is clear: they need to be taken away from the
hazard and out of work as quickly as possible.

For older children – i.e. youth over the minimum age –

there are two approaches: removing them or removing
the risk. But as risks cannot always be totally removed,
we usually speak of “risk reduc on” or “protec on” of
young workers.

29
Young people between 14 and 18 are of common
interest to both youth employment and child labour
efforts. It is an important age group as it encompasses
the transi on from school-to-work, or from school-
based educa on to voca onal training. It is during these
years that the founda on is laid for achieving decent
work later in life.

Doing hazardous work in adolescence can create

huge barriers – educa onal, physical, psychological,
social – that impede a young person from compe ng
successfully for good jobs in the future, and is one of the
main ways in which child labour and youth employment
are linked.

Even though these young people are over the minimum

age (usually 14 or 15) they are s ll considered “child
labour” under ILO Conven ons Nos. 138 and 182 if the
work they do is hazardous, or considered as a worst
form of child labour.

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PROTECTING YOUNG WORKERS

Young workers have a right to special protec on. ILO

Conven ons and the laws in most countries require
employers to provide a safe workplace and work that
is safe for young workers. Not all employers know
about or follow these laws, and the laws are not always
enforced. But it is important for young workers to know
what their employer should provide.

True stories

When Fa ma was 14, she got both arms caught in an ice-

crushing machine. Now she is permanently disabled and will
never have full use of her arms.

When Juan was 16, he was a acked and robbed at gunpoint

at a food stall. He was working alone at midnight.

16 year old Rahul had a job making bricks. He was not told to
use a mask, and a er breathing the dust for several months,
he now has a hard me breathing and gets sick a lot.

Anna is a 17 year old who works on a farm 40 hours a week.

Her boss is always yelling at her to work faster. When she
told him she was working as hard as she could, he fired her.

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RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYERS SHOULD:

• Do a risk assessment and inform the young person

and their parents of all the risks.
• Ensure a young person receives a break of 30
minutes a er four hours working.
• Ensure that all young people employed are properly
dressed and trained for the work they do!
• Keep a register of all the children and the register
must include par culars of their ages, the date
of commencement and termina on of their
employment, the condi ons and nature of their
employment and any other prescribed par culars;
and
• Employers must produce the register for inspec on
when required by a labour officer or labour inspector.
The register must be maintained separately and
apart from any other register.

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TIPS FOR YOUNG WORKERS

• Look for hazards in your workplace - be aware of

the dangers of your job. Some may be obvious and
hurt you immediately while others may be hidden
and might not make you sick un l later. Using knives,
box cu ers or slicers can cause serious cuts; li ing
heavy objects can hurt your back; working alone at
night puts you at risk of harrassment or a ack.
• Know your rights - there are interna onal and
na onal laws that protect young workers. Youth
are not allowed to do work that is physically or
psychologically dangerous. Laws limit the hours
of work and mes of the day that you work. You
should at least receive minimum wage, be trained
and provided with safety gear, be allowed to join a
union, and be protected from bullying, harrassment
or discrimina on in the workplace.
• Get safety training and follow safety rules - you
should be trained to do your job safely without
ge ng injured. For example, how to handle
chemicals, use machines, li heavy things in the
right way (20-25kg is HEAVY), climb ladders safely,
handle bullying, respond in a fire!
• Ask ques ons and get help to stay safe!!

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 CHECKLIST FOR YOUNG WORKERS

Do you use knives, machetes, or cu ng tools?

Do you work in a very hot (or cold) place or with
hot materials?
Do you climb up trees, ladders or scaffolding?
Do you li heavy objects?
Do you clean or work with machines or power
tools?
Do you breathe fumes from paints, cleaners,
gasoline or pes cides?
Do you work around large machines?
Do you pick crops or toil land for long periods?
Do you work at a high rate of speed or do the
same movement over and over?
Do you ever get abuse or improper sugges ons
from customers or management?
Do you usually work alone for long periods or at
night?

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CHILDREN IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR

Working in the entertainment sector such as ac ng in

movies, television, adver sements, or dancing and modelling
might seem like fun, but there is a lot of hard work involved.
Children can spend long hours at work and o en having to
wait for lengthy periods.

• Children and young people mature at different rates and

ages and have different talents and levels of enthusiasm.
• Take these things into account when deciding whether to
allow your child to be involved in paid work.
• Make sure work is balanced with play, exercise, rest and
study commitments.
• Work should not stop your child from enjoying life and
developing normally.
• Work shouldn’t become more important than school.
• Watch to make sure he or she isn’t too red to do
homework.

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 CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS BEFORE YOUR CHILD
STARTS WORKING

My child wants to do this work and has given his/

her consent
I have a clear idea about the nature of the work
my child will be doing and the working condi ons
I am confident this work will not harm my child’s
health or development
I am confident this work will not interfere with my
child’s educa on
I am sure my child be safe
I am confident my child will be adequately
supervised
For my child under 15 years, I have either
arranged to supervise my child myself or approved
a responsible adult to supervise my child
My child has the maturity to do this par cular job
My child will be paid fairly for work done
I am sa sfied that the child’s employer or
supervisor will treat my child fairly
I know my child’s working condi ons are within
the law and what is acceptable
I have provided wri en consent for my child to do
this work

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Will there be training in how to do the job safely?
(Young people are more likely to be injured in the
first few days of star ng a new job.)
What is the minimum wage for the type of work?
How will your child be paid?
How will your child get to and from work? Will this
include catching public transport or working late
at night?
Is your child aware of issues such as workplace
insurance and sexual harassment and what to do
about it?
Check that your child knows his/her responsibili es
at work: to work safely, to report hazards, to use
safety equipment?
Find out what tasks your child is being asked to
carry out; supervision receiving; and health and
safety measures in place to protect him/ her.
Check your child knows he/ she has the right to
refuse to do unsafe work.
As your child begins a new job, keep in touch with
your child about the job and help your child talk
about any issues. As a parent, you may be able to
help your child handle issues with sugges ons
from your own experiences.

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My Notes

38
39
From 2008 to 2013, the Tackling Child Labour through Educa on
or TACKLE programme, a global child labour programme funded
by the European Union, was implemented by the Interna onal
Labour Organiza on in 12 countries (eight countries in Africa, two
in the Caribbean and Fiji and Papua New Guinea in the Pacific).

TACKLE strengthened the capacity of the Fiji and PNG governments,

social partners and civil society groups to implement policies and
strategies to address child labour issues, including conduc ng
research, training, legisla ve reviews, awareness and advocacy,
child labour inspec ons, and direct ac ons with children in child
labour, children at risk, families, schools and communi es.

“Building regional efforts for elimina ng the worst forms of child

labour and trafficking in Pacific Island Countries” is an ILO Pacific
sub-regional project that builds on the ini a ves of TACKLE in
Fiji and PNG and extends technical support to Solomon Islands,
Kiriba and Samoa.

ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries

8th Floor FNPF Place
343-359 Victoria Parade
Suva, Fiji
Tel: +679 3313866
Fax: + 679 3300248
Email: [email protected]
www.ilo.org/suva

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