Child labor / Juvenile worker

We were all children once – and we are now the parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts of children. Children's needs and wishes, hence, are not difficult to understand. They want, expect and have the right to the best possible start in life. And we must do all we can to ensure that they, and the generations of children to come, receive this – a safer, fairer, healthier world.

—— ILO. "We the Children"

China labor law stipulates that the employer shall be banned from recruiting juveniles under the age of 16. Chinese government opposes strictly and fights for illegal use of child labor. Over the decade, China ratified The Convention on the Rights of the Child and carried out the core spirit of the convention. Great efforts are witnessed in legislation and implementation.

Child labor does not only exist in China. According to the latest ILO estimates for the year 2000, there are 211 million children aged 5-14 engaged in some form of economic activity, of which 88% or 186 million children are engaged in the types of child labor to be abolished (including in its worst forms). Of an estimated 141 million children aged 15-17 engaged in economic activity, 59 million are working in the worst forms of child labor or under hazardous conditions.

Poverty is widely regarded as a major cause of child labor, indicated by a strong negative association between the level of economic development and the scale of the child labor problem. The ILO 2002 Global Report on Child Labour reveals that 98% of the 211 million working children are in developing countries. However, poverty is not the only cause of this problem. Cultural beliefs, traditional mores, inequality in wealth distribution, market demand (for children at rates cheaper than adults), and lack of political will to tackle the problem, all contribute to the perpetuation of child labor. For instance, in many societies, children are traditionally expected to contribute to family income; and a working childhood is considered as a natural phase in the social integration process. In other societies, local, clan or family tradition and development includes child labor as a tool for the socialization of children.

In addition to the major international and national initiatives focusing on the prevention and elimination of child labor, there have been an increasing number of initiatives in the private sector. For instance, almost all the major codes of conduct developed since the early 1990s by multinational corporations contain a "No Child Labor" element. Despite their different monitoring and implementation approaches, all of the existing external labor standards such as SA8000, the ETI base code, ICTI, EICC and WRAP etc., have a clear policy against child labor.

Procedures to Ensure Compliance in Your Facility

Ensure each employee has been educated on the facilities policy and procedures on Child labor (E.g. handbooks, meetings, courses, classes, postings, periodic notification, etc.).
Educate and train hiring staff employees on local laws, regulations and restrictions pertaining to the use of child labor and young workers.
Develop and adopt a standard hiring practice for verifying the age of factory workers prior to employment.
Check for liable proof of age documentation and ensure that a copy of the relevant document is kept on file. Note: such information is often falsified by young workers seeking employment.
Maintain a copy of official age documentation on file to critically examine against new applicant submitted proof of age documentation. Carefully review for false documentation.
Compare applicant submitted proof of age documentation against false documentation on file.
Establish a system to track the nature and volume of work performed by young workers.
If applicable, routinely verify that employees designated as “young workers” are not performing work classified as hazardous in nature.
If applicable, routinely verify that employees designated as “young workers” are not working beyond allowable legal limitations.

Good Practices

Designated a person responsible for routinely verifying the effectiveness of the factory's policy and procedures on child labor.
Hiring personnel are held accountable for violations of the facilities policy on Child Labor.
The facility continuously trains managers and supervisors on the facilities policy on Child Labor.
Require hiring agents to disclose labor sources.
Require hiring agents to sign a proof of age declaration for all recruited employees.
Written agreements with hiring agents regarding hiring practices.