Critically discuss why it has proved so difficult to curb child labour Essay

Critically discuss why it has proved so difficult to curb child labour - Essay Example Even with the implementation of laws within the local and international setting seeking to manage and reduce child labour incidents, this issue has remained a major problem. This essay shall now critically discuss why it has proved difficult to curb the child labour problem. An overview of the child labour problem will first be presented followed by issues and challenges relating to child labour. Possible proposals and recommendations to curb child labour will also be presented in this essay. Body About 246 million children are said to be involved in child labour according to the UNICEF1. About 20% of these children also work under very dangerous, unhealthy, and unsafe conditions, including work in mines, work with chemicals in agriculture, and working with hazardous machines2. Cases of child labour are also very extensive, covering various countries, and being subjected to different conditions, including work in their own homes. A good majority of these children are in the agricultu ral setting. There are also millions of young female children working as household helpers, often open to exploitation as well as abuse. Millions more are exposed to unfavourable conditions as they are subjected to trafficking, debt payments, slavery, child soldiering3, and prostitution4. Estimates indicate how Asia and the Pacific area have the biggest number of child labourers as young as 5 years to 14 years. Sub-Saharan Africa has about 48 million child labourers with Latin America and the Caribbean having about 17.4 million child labourers5. Fifteen percent of children in the Middle East and North Africa are also working with about 2.5 million and 2.4 million children subjected to work for developing and developing states6. This problem will likely continue to escalate and worsen in the years following due to the current unfavourable conditions present in these countries where child labour statistics are high. Child labour is very much related to rural activities. In Pakistan fo r example, close to 70% of their working children are carrying out agricultural works7. The young boys would likely be involved than girls in child labour and the older children are often involved in paid work8. The issue with child labour relates to the impact on the welfare of the children and the impact of such issue on households. In India, courts ruled against the practice of employing children in factories to make fireworks, including other dangerous occupations9. This is the idea which supports majority of the policy discussions on child labour and is the basis for ILO Convention No. 13810. The favourable impact to the household on allowing child labour mostly relates to economic benefits and the decreased educational cost in not sending the child to school11. The main costs relating to child labour refers to the possibly decreased future wages of the child as he or she would enter into the adult workforce; as he or she has lower educational attainment, his or her work qualif ications are compromised. There are specific accepted premises on child labour which should support the discussion. For one, it is very clear that child labour very much indicates poverty among households where children are living. In a review of studies which portray major negative relations between child labour and household income, such relationship is less relevant for the more progressive but