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1 How many children are working?
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The problem of working children is not limited to the poor countries
of the world, but is widespread throughout the world. It is found
in both urban and rural communities, ranging from homework to factory
work.
Nobody knows exactly how many children are working over the world,
but it is very high indeed. Whether child labour is defined by age
or conditions of work, existing statistics on child labour are inadequate
for many reasons. Most available data only covers economic activity
of children between the ages of 10 and 14. Another fact that tends
to be ignored is that the vast majority of child labourers work
in the unregulated and unmonitored parts of economy. The ILO estimates
that today 250 million children between the age of 5 and 14 years
in developing countries are working. This is very likely a large
underestimation of the real scope of the problem in view of the
above mentioned argument. Also few details are known about the circumstances
under which children in different sectors have to work, or about
the precise effects these activities have on the life and development
of children. In certain instances, it is presumed that child labour
does not exist or is not harmful for children and therefore is not
included in surveys or covered by official statistics. Figures and
estimates should therefore be viewed at with great caution.
| The terms 'formal' and 'informal' sector are often used
assuming that it is about two clear-cut separate parts of
economy. The informal sector encompasses a wide variety of
activities ranging from petty trade, service repairs and domestic
work to transport, construction and manufacturing. It rarely
involves a clear-cut employer-employee relationship. Women
make up a large share of workers in the informal sector. A
distinct feature of informal sector is that it operates outside
the legal and administrative framework. Regulations concerning
safety, health and working conditions are ignored. The heterogeneous
nature of the jobs and differences in employment status make
it difficult for informal sector workers to organise themselves
into unions to improve their wages and working conditions
(ILO, 1998). |
How many children are working in Bangladesh? (1)
It is estimated that out of 120 million people of Bangladesh about
50% are below the age of 15 years .(2) Figures on the number of
working children vary largely according to various sources. Given
the diversity of definitions on what constitutes a 'child' and 'work'
and given the weakness of the available sources, accurate information
on how many children are working is hard to give. The big majority
supposedly works at least part of the time. Some are excluded from
education, others both go to school and do some sort of work, either
at home or outside . (3) It seems that child labour is more prevalent
in rural areas, and that more boys than girls work outside the home.
The National Labour Force Survey is based on interviews with heads
of households. This survey aims to measure the "economic activity"
of adults that means having work for at least one hour in qualifying
activities during a particular reference period. This minimal qualification
is designed to ensure that it does not exclude working people who
are currently underemployed.
UNICEF collects since 1994 data on child related issues such as
health and education. In 1995, the questionnaire was extended to
include questions on child work. The UNICEF Multiple Indicator Survey
considers a working child as a child whose activity brings additional
material gains into the household.
The Rapid Assessment Survey was designed to collect qualitative
information on child labour. This study covers over 38000 working
children below the age of 18 years involved in economic activities,
of whom about 2100 were interviewed individually.
According the National Labour Force Survey of 1990/91, the labour
force participation rate for children aged 10-14 was estimated at
46% for boys and 36% for girls. In the rural areas the participation
rate for boys is 50% and for girls 42%; In the urban areas the rate
for boys is 28% and for girls 16%. All of these rates are higher
than in the Labour Force Survey of 1989. This may partly reflect
a difference between the two surveys in the classification of economic
activities. These high participation rates do not, however, mean
that all children are doing paid work; The majority of these children
are unpaid family helpers.
The UNICEF Multiple Indicator Survey concludes that among children
between the age of 6 and 17 years, 21% of boys are working and only
4% of girls. The proportion of children working increases with age.
Proportions are much lower than in the Labour Force Survey. Partly
this reflects a different notion of 'work'. The proportion of girls
is very low, presumably because most of them are engaged in domestic
labour that does not bring direct economic benefit.
Though the Rapid Assessment Survey, carried out in 1994 by ILO
and Unicef, was essentially qualitative. Data drawn from its sample
reveal that the proportion of children between the age of 5 and
14 years who are working is 15% to 20%.
- Stalker, 1996
- Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 1996.
- Myers, 1998.
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