Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: May 7th, 2002 - Mortgaging their future in order to be able to survive today, some Mortgaging their future in order to be able to survive today, some 17.4 million children in Latin America between the ages of 5 and 17 have to work in order to contribute to their family's economic survival. There are an estimated 180 million working children in the world - one in eight children on this planet. According to a report issued this week by the International Labor Organisation, a United Nations body, 147,000 Costa Rican children - 15% of the total population of children - work in "agriculture, fishing, street selling and child prostitution". This figure is up from 8% of all children in 1993 and the inclination is that it will continue to rise. Costa Rica's children represent 13% of the country's workforce and yet only receive 37% of the legal minimum wage, representing cheap and exploitable labor for their employers. According to the report, in El Salvador 17% of all children have to work to help themselves or their family; 21% in Honduras and a huge 33% in Guatemala - more than half of them in agriculture. If children have to work instead of going to school, they will never fully realise the God given human potential they possess. If the world's work force is not better educated and trained, the productive capacity will be less. It makes good sense - especially for the children. It would also make more cents for the business and political leaders if they were to support initiatives to get children out of the fields and into classrooms.
17.4 million children in Latin America between the ages of 5 and 17 have to work in order to contribute to their family's economic survival. There are an estimated 180
million working children in the world - one in eight children on this planet.