WORKING WITH COMPANIES TO PREVENT THE EXPLOITATION OF CHILD LABOUR.

NGO’s group for the convention the rights of the child .

Current international standards relevant to child labour and international trade

At the international level, the term “child applies to everyone who is less than 18 years of age. The category of “children” includes some fully-grown adolescents who have virtually the same capacity to work as adults (for example 17 – year- olds and even some 16 – year- olds), and also young children who should not be expected to work.

The laws and rules abut the types of employment in which they may be involved, the amount of time they should worked or expected to work and earn money vary enormously between countries. The standards which have been adopted at the international level, by the united nations (UN) and international labour organization (ILO) are also diverse and sometimes seem confusing to employers. The term “child labour” is used to refer to forms of employment for under 18 which are exploitative. It does not refer to all forms of work done by children, indeed, it is widely considered that some experience of employment and work is beneficial for young people before the age of 18.

 

THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) CONVETION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD.There are a variety of standards which have been adopted at international level concerning child labour. The UN convetion on the rights of the child contains some universally agreed standards (190 states have ratified this convention and only a handful have not done so). The main underlying principle of the convention is that in any decisions to be taken about a child, the best interests of the child shall always be a primary concern.The convention aims to protect chidren form employment that is likely to be hazardous to their health level concerning child labour. The UN convetion on the rights of the child contains some universally agreed standards (190 states have ratified this convention and only a handful have not done so) . The main underlying principle of the convention is that in any decisions to be taken about a child, the best interests of the child shall always be a primary concern.The convention aims to protect chidren form employment that is likely to be hazardous to their health r to interfere with their education and development. by defining everyone under 18 years of age as “ children” , the convention avoids all the issues connected with specifying an appropriate minimum age for employment: but in avoiding this issue, it has also left a significant issue undefined.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS BY UNICEF:

In its 1997 state of the world’s children report, UNICEF focused attention on child labour. Calling for an end hazardous and exploitative child labour the report concludes with six recommendations for action, one of which requires national and international companies to take action to “adopt codes of conduct guaranteeing that neither they nor their sub-contractors will employ children in conditions that violate their rights”. Furthermore, UNICEF argues that “procurement policies must be developed to take into account the best interests of the child and include measures to protect those interests”.