Ending Debt Bondage is Key to Eradicating Child Labor, Says ILO
Ending Debt Bondage is Key to Eradicating Child Labor, Says ILO
The Irrawaddy, 23 Feb 2018
URL: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/ending-debt-bondage-key-eradicating-child-labor-says-ilo.html
YANGON-Myanmar needs to eliminate the practice of bonded labour and develop a social protection program in order to tackle the problem of illegal child labor, which has ensnared more than 1.2 million children aged 5-17, according to the International Labour Organization.
These children work an average of 51 hours per week, with most of them toiling in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries (60.5%), followed by the manufacturing (12%), trade (11.1 %) and other services sectors (5%).
The practice of bonded labour impacts a lot of low-wage workers in Myanmar, especially children employed in other uncategorized services such as in small enterprises run as family businesses, as domestic workers, and in beauty and massage parlors.
As Myanmar also does not have social protection programs in place, it is yet another hurdle to eliminating the problem of child labor, the ILO official said.
These children work an average of 51 hours per week, with most of them toiling in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries (60.5%), followed by the manufacturing (12%), trade (11.1 %) and other services sectors (5%).
The practice of bonded labour impacts a lot of low-wage workers in Myanmar, especially children employed in other uncategorized services such as in small enterprises run as family businesses, as domestic workers, and in beauty and massage parlors.
As Myanmar also does not have social protection programs in place, it is yet another hurdle to eliminating the problem of child labor, the ILO official said.