Sociology Now, Census Update

Many child laborers work long hours that prohibit them from going
to school or having a leisure life; according to the International Labour
Organization, over half work for 9 or more hours per day, 7 days a week,
with no holidays. About 70 percent work for no pay, and the others receive
a fraction of what adults would receive; one international study (Interna-
tional Labour Organization, 2006) found them being paid a sixth of the
standard adult wage. Three-quarters (184 million) work under hazardous
conditions, exposed to dangerous chemicals or using dangerous tools. They
do not receive sufficient exposure to fresh air and have little freedom of
movement. They may be beaten and abused. Over 20 percent suffer phys-
ical injuries; many others suffer irreparable psychological harm.
Their situations vary, and not all are unpleasant or exploitive, but for
every 16-year-old studying college chemistry from behind a counter at the
family shop, there are a dozen 4-year-olds tied to rug looms to keep them
from running away.

The New Slavery.Global trafficking transports people far from their
homes for forced, bonded, and illegitimate labor. There are about 30
million victims worldwide (nearly three times as many as were victimized
by the African slave trade of 1500–1830), including over 1 million
children (International Labour Organization, 2006). Most are seeking an escape
from poverty; they are likely to be from disenfranchised tribal groups, castes, or
minority groups. Many are refugees. They may be lured from their homes with the
promise of good jobs or an education overseas, but some are sold by their parents,
and some are kidnapped outright. They are crammed onto boats or trucks with
insufficient food, water, and air, and transported thousands of miles from home.
When their “employers” are threatened with discovery, the children are abandoned
in border regions or killed (International Labour Organization, 2006).
The destination of these children differs depending on region and local culture,
but it follows the general trend of globalization: Raw materials and labor flow from
the less-developed countries to the more developed:

■From Latin America to North America

■From Russia and Eastern Europe to Western Europe

■From West Africa to Western Europe and the Middle East

■From Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam to Thailand

■From Thailand to Australia and New Zealand

■From Nepal and Bangladesh to India

■From India to the Middle East and Western Europe

When the children finally reach their destination, the “good job” turns out to be
poorly paying or unpaid domestic, factory, or farm work. They are not permitted to
leave their jobs, and if they do, they have nowhere to go. They are in a strange coun-
try where they do not speak the language. Their parents are a continent away and
have no resources to get them back. They cannot seek other help because they are in
the country illegally, with no papers, and the authorities are usually corrupt. They
are virtual slaves—if they are lucky. Trafficked children are more likely than others
to fall prey to the worst forms of child labor defined by the International Labour
Organization (2006).

The Worst Forms of Child Labor.Forced and bonded labor occupies 5.7 million
children and adolescents. A little over 1 million have been trafficked, transported to
other regions or countries, and the rest work close to home (International Labour
Organization, 2006).

YOUTH AND INEQUALITY 375

FIGURE 11.8 Regional Variations

in Child Labor

122.3

Asia and the

Pacific

49.3

Sub-Saharan

Africa

13.4

Other regions 5.7

Latin America

and the Caribbean

Source:© International Labour Organization 2006.

Reprinted by permission.