Entries by Reid Maki

Ghana strengthens child labour monitoring

/in /by

[from the Ghana New Agency] Accra, Aug. 27, GNA – A database system for monitoring and tracking information on child labour issues in Ghana was launched in Accra on Friday with a call on various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies not to compromise on canker. The Child Labour Monitoring System (CLMS) would facilitate effective child labour interventions by identifying child labourers and linking them to satisfactory and sustainable alternatives such as schooling and skills training.

Child labor in Yemen…outlaw phenomenon

/in /by

Yemen Observer: https://www.yobserver.com Posted in: Reports Written By: Fatima al-Aghbari Article Date: Aug 26, 2010 – 4:54:28 AM The child labor phenomenon in Yemen has worsened since the 1960s because of the economic deterioration and high rates of poverty, as field studies have shown. (Saba)- The socialists see that the aggravation of this phenomenon is also linked to the early marriage problem. Deteriorating economic situations in Yemen, especially in light of the global economic crisis and the accompanying high prices and the individuals› low income, plays a significant role in the growth the of child labor phenomenon. In recent years, the phenomenon has significantly exacerbated as many children started flocking to the labor market to work in different areas such as restaurants, auto repair shops, construction sites and selling items in streets amongst other work.

U.S. Government’s Latest Weapon in the Fight Against Child Labor

/in , /by

Viewpoint/Elizabeth Gardner In an effort to combat child labor, the U.S. Department of Labor recently updated its list of products made with forced or indentured child labor in foreign countries. Federal contractors are prohibited under U.S. law from using these products. Under Executive Order 13126 federal contractors are required to make a good faith effort to verify that no child labor was used in the products filling government contracts. It’s a good measure, and the list turns out to be a bit of a Who’s Who among nations with the worst forms of child labor. Making the most appearances on this list of notoriety is Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar). (They almost completely monopolized the list in its first iteration back in 2001.) The nation’s bamboo, beans, bricks, rice, rubber, sugarcane, and teak (a type of wood) all made the Department of Labor product watch list.

Gap, Next, and M&S in New Sweatshop Scandal

/in , /by

By: Gethin Chamberlain The Observer Indian workers are paid just 25p an hour and forced to work overtime in factories used by some of Britain’s best-known high street stores Gap, Next and Marks & Spencer have all launched their own inquiries into abuses of working regulations at their Indian suppliers, which have resulted in children such as six-year-old Bubli being left alone while her parents work. Photograph: Gethin Chamberlain Some of the biggest names on the British high street are at the centre of a major sweatshop scandal. An Observer investigation has found staff at their Indian suppliers working up to 16 hours a day. Marks & Spencer, Gap and Next have all launched their own inquiries into the abuses and pledged to end the practice of excessive overtime, which is in flagrant breach of the industry’s ethical trading initiative (ETI) and Indian labour law. Some workers say they were paid at half the legal overtime rate. Gap, which uses the same factory as Next, confirmed it had found wage violations and gave its supplier a deadline of midnight last night to repay workers who lost out. M&S says it has yet to see evidence to support the wage claims.

Child Soldier Resources

/in , /by

There has been a range of data collected about the plight of child soldiers in the world today. For further resources on the ongoing campaigns, on the ground conditions, and diplomatic situation surrounding child soldiers around the world please see the links below:

Gartner: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Education is Key

/in , , /by

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Education is the Key Missing Link David Gartner, Co-Director, Center for Universal Education The Brookings Institution July 30, 2010 — President Obama is releasing a plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 in advance of the largest gathering of world leaders in at least a decade at the United Nations. While the Administration’s outline includes useful ideas on tracking development outcomes and increasing transparency and accountability, it also represents a missed opportunity to deliver on Obama’s commitment to invest $2 billion in a Global Fund for Education to achieve universal primary education. For most of the MDGs, particularly those that are most off-track, success will be nearly impossible without the achievement of universal primary education, MDG 2. With 72 million children still not in primary school, achieving universal education would offer extraordinary leverage in the broader fight against global poverty. While there is some progress in poverty reduction for MDG 1: “Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger,” there is much less progress on the commitment to halve the number of people suffering from hunger by 2015.  Child malnutrition is a key dimension of world hunger and 137 million children under the age of 5 are still underweight globally. Educating women is an important tool for reducing child hunger, according to a cross-country analysis of 63 countries. […]