According to the
ILO's most recent estimate, 215 million children around
the world are trapped in some form of work. These children do not go to
school, they have little or no time to play and many of them do not receive
proper nutrition or health care. Child labour remains a challenge in many
of the poorest parts of Asia and there is still a lot of work to be done on
breaking the links between poverty and child labour.
Surveys of the labour force and child labour in the
Lao People’s
found that the population of Laos is 5,818,447 of whom 2,913,989
are female. This is a very young country: More than two million
people, or almost two-fifths of the population, are under 18
years of age. The report shows that out of 3,886,000 persons
aged 15 or over, 3,080,000 are in the labour force.
However, according to the Child Labour Survey, approximately
178,000 children in Laos are considered to be engaged in child
labour – around 96,000 girls and 81,000 boys. Of these more
than 130,000 – or two out of every three child labourers - are
involved in what is defined as hazardous work. Ninety per cent
of child labourers work in agriculture, forestry or fishing, and
seven out of 10 work more than 49 hours per week. The
majority of child labourers are found in rural areas.
The Labour Force Survey and Child Labour Survey are the first
such studies to be conducted in the Lao PDR. They provide us
with a not untypical snapshot of the situation in many least
developed countries. The findings and the new statistical
information will help planners, policy makers, researchers
and businesses who want to make an impact on a significant
challenge in Laos.
Education plays an important part in breaking the cycle of
poverty that leads to child labour. The online Children’s Rights
Portal argues that increased efforts are required to ensure that
each and every Laotian child goes to school. Today 20% of
children do not enjoy the right to education. Many children live
in isolated villages where different ethnic languages are
spoken even though the official language used in school
programs is Lao. Poverty is a key factor which obstructs
children from enjoying their right to education. Commonly,
school fees may be too high for the family to afford and this
may prevent children from attending school.
Many children in Laos are also victims of physical and sexual
abuse. Such abuse can take place in the family circle and has
detrimental consequences for children. A recent study has
shown that nearly half of all street children in Laos ran away
from home because they were subjected to domestic violence.
The international NGO, Save the Children, says that although
various instruments of government legislation have
been enacted for the development and protection of Lao
children, there is still a lack of specific national strategies
for protecting children directly from abuse, exploitation
and neglect. There are growing concerns of the numbers of
children being lured into commercial sexual exploitation with
child prostitution common. This is a particular problem
amongst children without appropriate care including orphans,
street children, victims of trafficking and migrant children.
National data estimates that there are 85,000 orphans under
16 years of age in Laos (3.5% of the child population).
There are about 800 street children (either working or
living on the streets, or doing both) in the Lao capital.
A survey of 270 street children in the capital found that
34% are below 10 years of age; 60% are between 10
and 15 and 6% are over 15 years old. Laos is a country
of origin for human trafficking, with the primary destination
to Thailand, although with increasing cases now to China.
An overwhelming majority of trafficking victims are girls
aged between 12-18 years and of these, 35% are believed
to end up in forced prostitution.
As Laos opens up to more and more foreign investment,
responsible businesses can find meaningful ways to engage
with the challenges of children at risk. Helping children to
go to school and contributing to better quality education
is a good starting point. It is often helping to overcome
the barriers to children receiving education which can be
most successful.
Providing more economic opportunities to parents can often
do even more because we know that as household incomes
rise, the incidence of child labour falls. Therefore, thinking
about employment opportunities, inclusive supply chain
initiatives and helping to create successful rural small
businesses all have huge potential for economic empowerment.
Raising awareness about children at risk and creating CSR
programs which can lead to effective development interventions
will bring benefits to children in danger and improve the reputation
of the business.
The private sector has a huge role in engaging in poverty
alleviation strategies through its own activities and thus
contributing to development opportunities. Helping to create
innovative social enterprises and inclusive supply chains also has
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