CHILD LABOUR: The Worst Forms of Child Labour in Asia - Main Findings from Bangladesh and Nepal

Summary: For the IREWOC project "The Worst Forms of Child Labour in Asia" Afke de Groot studied children in brick kilns, restaurants, and those working as porters in Nepal; Anna Ensing studied children working in the leather sector and the conditions of working girls in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Nanna Baum studied domestic workers in Bangladesh - both in the city and at home in the villages. Additional data is presented by Mariette de Graaf, who studied the working conditions of children involved in Dhaka's leather sector from an occupational hygiene point of view.

In spite of the breakthrough of Convention 182, the focus on the worst forms of child labour has been waning. Research indicates that the majority of NGOs work with children who perform light activities for only a few hours a day, which are actually tolerated under the ILO convention 182 norms. At the same time this relative absence of action is paralleled by a lack of information. Vast sectors are structurally overlooked and understudied. Additionally the qualitative material is very poor, excluding the perspectives of the child labourers and their parents.

IREWOC previously conducted this project on "The Worst Forms of Child Labour" in Latin America (see the IREWOC website). It was then expanded into Asia. Afke de Groot studied children in brick kilns, restaurants, and those working as porters in Nepal. Anna Ensing studied children working in the leather sector and the conditions of working girls in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nanna Baum studied domestic workers in Bangladesh - both in the city and at home in the villages. Additional data is presented by Mariette de Graaf, who studied the working conditions of children involved in Dhaka's leather sector from an occupational hygiene point of view.

Owner: International Research on Working Children - IREWOCpdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/WOFAS presentatie samenvatting_2010.pdf

Web: 
http://www.childlabour.net/IREWOC%20research%20reports.html

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