Entries by Reid Maki

Map: How Long are Children Protected from Full-Time Work?

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  It is important to note that many countries have good laws that protect children from exploitation, but they lack enforcement. A legal framework for protection is an important first step in safeguarding children.Major exemptions exist. For example, in the U.S., a 12-yearold in Agriculture can work unlimited hours–as long as school is not in session during those hours. This infographic has been developed by our program partner the World Policy Analysis Center at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. [When the map appears, you may click on it to see a larger version.]

CLC Member Human Rights Watch Press Release: Tanzania — Hazardous Life of Child Gold Miners

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For Immediate Release Tanzania: Hazardous Life of Child Gold Miners Government, World Bank, Donors Should Address Child Labor in Mines   (Dar Es Salaam, August 28, 2013) – Children as young as eight-years-old are working in Tanzanian small-scale gold mines, with grave risks to their health and even their lives, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Tanzanian government should curb child labor in small-scale mining, including at informal, unlicensed mines, and the World Bank and donor countries should support these efforts. The 96-page report, “Toxic Toil: Child Labor and Mercury Exposure in Tanzania’s Small-Scale Gold Mines,” describes how thousands of children work in licensed and unlicensed small-scale gold mines in Tanzania, Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer. They dig and drill in deep, unstable pits, work underground for shifts of up to 24 hours, and transport and crush heavy bags of gold ore. Children risk injury from pit collapses and accidents with tools, as well as long-term health damage from exposure to mercury, breathing dust, and carrying heavy loads. A 17-year-old boy who survived a pit accident told Human Rights Watch, “I thought I was dead, I was so frightened.” “Tanzanian boys and girls are lured to the gold mines in the hopes of a better life, but find themselves stuck in a dead-end cycle of danger and […]

Ten Facts about Niger’s “Fifth Wives” or WAHAYU

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A wahaya (plural: wahayu) or “fifth wife” is a Nigerien girl or woman born into a slave caste and trafficked into domestic or sexual servitude. A wahaya can be sold to a wealthy or powerful man for as little as $400 US (200,000 CFA). The practice of “fifth wives” is most prevalent in Niger’s Tahoua region. Wahayu are also trafficked across the border, to northern Nigeria. Eighty-three percent of the wahayu interviewed by Anti-Slavery International and Timidria researchers, for their joint report, had been sold into the practice before age 15—43 percent were sold between ages nine and 11, while 40 percent were sold between ages 12 and 14. Another term used for a wahaya is sa daka, which translates to “put in the bedroom,” but in the context of a wahaya, can be interpreted as “shove her in the bedroom!” (with the intention of using her for sexual gratification). Slavery was abolished in Niger in 1960, and national legislation was passed in 2003 to make it a criminal offense. Niger has ratified a number of international conventions that the wahaya practice violates, including the International Labor Organization’s Minimum Age Convention (C138) and Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention (C182); the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child […]

“Countries that Do Not Legally Protect Children from Hazardous Work” Infographic

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[Please click on the title above to view the infographic.]     This is the first in a series of  child-labor-related infographics in which we examine legal protections for children. It is important to note that many countries have good laws that protect children from exploitation, but they lack enforcement. A legal framework for protection is an important first step in safeguarding children. This infographic has been developed by our program partner the World Policy Analysis Center at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health.  

10 Facts about Child Labor in Lake Volta’s Fishing Industry:

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In Ghana, one in six children aged 6 to 14 are involved in child labor; 2.3 percent of them work in fishing. NGOs estimate that 4,000 to 10,000 children are trafficked and enslaved on Lake Volta at any time. Persistent poverty greatly contributes to the issue of child labor in the Lake Volta fishing industry. Many families in Ghana are unable to afford the fees for school uniforms and books, and in many communities learning a trade is considered a viable alternative to schooling. Children as young as four years old are trafficked to work as bonded laborers in Ghana’s fishing industry. Parents who give their children to traffickers often believe that, in exchange for the small sum of money they receive, the child will have the opportunity to learn a trade. The tasks children are involved in include paddling boats, hauling nets, diving underwater to untangle nets, or working as domestic laborers in the homes of fishermen. Children work long hours for no pay; do not attend school; and are often malnourished, sleep deprived, and treated abusively. Drowning and contracting water-borne diseases, like bilharzia (schistosomiasis) and guinea worm (dracunculiasis), are some of the hazards of this form of child labor. The work violates Ghana’s own laws regulating child labor and education. It also violates standards set by the International […]

CLC Statement on “Malala Day,” July 12, 2013

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WASHINGTON—The 30 members of the Child Labor Coalition (CLC) applaud the courage and commitment of education activist Malala Yousafzai who spoke to hundreds of young people gathered from over 80 nations for a Youth Session at the United Nations today. Malala, who just turned 16, was tragically shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan last fall because she dared to attend school and argued for the right of other Pakistani girls to do the same. “We are all inspired by Malala’s amazing courage,” said Sally Greenberg, the co-chair of the CLC and the executive director of the National Consumers League. “Our coalition knows all too well that when children are not allowed to attend school, they often end up in work that is dangerous or damaging to their future development. Around the world, an estimated 61 million children are denied access to an education. At considerable risk, Malala is speaking out on behalf of those children.” “Malala is a powerful reminder that education is not only the right of every child, but the greatest hope we have for a more just, prosperous, and peaceful world,” said Dr. Lorretta Johnson, Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and a co-chair of the CLC. “We join her in calling for increasing educational opportunities for all children and encourage everyone […]

What are the Most Common Child Labor Products Found Around the World?

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                    CLICK on title, and then click on chart to make larger. Please note that some countries with relatively large numbers of goods on this list may not have the most serious problems of child labor.  Often, these are countries that have more openly acknowledged the problems, have better research, and have allowed information on these issues to be disseminated.

Which Countries Produce the Most Products Made from Child Labor?

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                  Please note that some countries with relatively large numbers of goods on the List may not have the most serious problems of child labor.  Often, these are countries that have more openly acknowledged the problems, have better research, and have allowed information on these issues to be disseminated. CLICK title to view and then click chart to make larger.

PRESS RELEASE: Child Labor Coalition Applauds State Department Downgrade of Uzbekistan in the Trafficking-in-Persons Report

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For immediate release: June 25, 2013 Contact: Reid Maki, (202) 207-2820, reidm@nclnet.org On June 19 the US placed Uzbekistan in the lowest rank in the Global Trafficking in Persons Report for failing to end forced labor, forced child labor, and curb human trafficking in 2012 (Washington) –The 30-member Child Labor Coalition (CLC) applauds the Department of State’s decision June 19th to downgrade Uzbekistan to Tier 3 in the Global Trafficking in Persons Report (J/TIP) ranking system. The report is an annual assessment of human trafficking around the world and the efforts of individual governments to combat it. Uzbekistan has been the focus of advocacy by the Child Labor Coalition and the Cotton Campaign because of widespread forced labor of adults and children to harvest the nation’s cotton crop. “State-demanded forced labor of children and adults to harvest cotton each fall in Uzbekistan has long-been a grave concern,” noted CLC co-chair Sally Greenberg, the executive director of the National Consumers League. “By moving Uzbekistan to Tier III, the US government is telling the world that Uzbek leaders need to confront and remedy their use of forced adult and child labor immediately, and they must open their cotton harvest to International Labour Organization (ILO) monitoring to ensure that workers are laboring willingly.” “We urge the Uzbek government to follow the recommendation of […]