Child labour in CambodiaWorld Bank: 1.5 million children working in Cambodia
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
Some 1.5 million children aged 7 to 17 years old are being put to work in Cambodia, the World Bank said Wednesday, calling on the government to curb the practice.
The number is "very high," making up 40 percent of children in the age group, the bank said in a December 2006 report seen Wednesday.
Titled "Children's Work in Cambodia: A Challenge for Growth and Poverty Reduction," the report defines child labor as a legal concept reflecting a subset of work that is injurious, negative or undesirable for children.
"This percentage is very high relative to other countries with similar levels of income, underscoring that children's work poses a particular concern in the Cambodian context," it said.
Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and about 35 percent of its 14 million people live below the national poverty line of US$0.50 (€0.40) a day. The country relies on an average of US$500 million (€386 million) in foreign development aid every year.
The report cited poverty and need to supplement family income as reasons forcing children to work.
Ninety percent of economically active children in the 7-14 age range perform agricultural and household work as unpaid laborers to help their parents.
More than 250,000 children aged 15-17 years are in seven of the 16 nationally identified hazardous sectors for which data are available, working 43 or more hours per week. On average, they toil for about US$1 (€80 cents) a day often in hazardous and dangerous conditions that leave "them vulnerable to injury and illness," the report said.
It said child labor has led to late school entry and substantial dropout starting in upper primary grades for many children, who "are denied the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for gainful future employment, thereby perpetuating the cycle of poverty."
Cambodia's efforts to tackle the problem remains inadequate, it said, calling on the government to clearly define what constitutes child labor and strengthen legislative measures for its elimination.
"A substantial reduction of child labor will therefore boost human capital accumulation and raise the country's growth potential," the report said.
Some 1.5 million children aged 7 to 17 years old are being put to work in Cambodia, the World Bank said Wednesday, calling on the government to curb the practice.
The number is "very high," making up 40 percent of children in the age group, the bank said in a December 2006 report seen Wednesday.
Titled "Children's Work in Cambodia: A Challenge for Growth and Poverty Reduction," the report defines child labor as a legal concept reflecting a subset of work that is injurious, negative or undesirable for children.
"This percentage is very high relative to other countries with similar levels of income, underscoring that children's work poses a particular concern in the Cambodian context," it said.
Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and about 35 percent of its 14 million people live below the national poverty line of US$0.50 (€0.40) a day. The country relies on an average of US$500 million (€386 million) in foreign development aid every year.
The report cited poverty and need to supplement family income as reasons forcing children to work.
Ninety percent of economically active children in the 7-14 age range perform agricultural and household work as unpaid laborers to help their parents.
More than 250,000 children aged 15-17 years are in seven of the 16 nationally identified hazardous sectors for which data are available, working 43 or more hours per week. On average, they toil for about US$1 (€80 cents) a day often in hazardous and dangerous conditions that leave "them vulnerable to injury and illness," the report said.
It said child labor has led to late school entry and substantial dropout starting in upper primary grades for many children, who "are denied the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for gainful future employment, thereby perpetuating the cycle of poverty."
Cambodia's efforts to tackle the problem remains inadequate, it said, calling on the government to clearly define what constitutes child labor and strengthen legislative measures for its elimination.
"A substantial reduction of child labor will therefore boost human capital accumulation and raise the country's growth potential," the report said.
11 comments:
KHMENG WAT KNONG SROK
TO
KI-MEDIA EDITOR
SINCERELY IT IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO DEPICT CAMBODIA...IF YOU ARE CAMBODIAN????
PLEASE DO NOT SHIT ON YOUR OWN MOTHERHOOD, MOTHERLAND...IT IS SIMPLY RUDE AND PROUDLESS TO WRITE THIS TITLE...
TRY A BETTER AND MORE COMPASSION FOR CAMBODIA AND 14 MILLION CAMBODIANS... WE DID NOT DESERVE IT AT ALL
THANK YOU
KHMENG WAT KNONG SROK
Well, I don't think we need to be
shameful if we are doing the right
thing. Foreigners are not our
judges. Undeniably, we are a poor
country. We did everything that
we can do to help everyone.
what is wrong with that?
Anyway, for the good of the
country, I think we should mandated
each kid to attend a moral
education for a minimum of 2-3
years. After that, we should
allowed them to help their family
to put food on their table if they
choose to do that.
What is the foreigner going to do
to us? Our kid have good moral
education and will not turned
to drug, criminal, nor will
they be a threat to anyone. Hence,
no one will have any case against
us. Plus, traditionally, many of
our kids have always worked to
help out their family.
Do you know where the children of the powerful and ruling Cambodian are? They are in the US, Australia, European countries to study in primary school, secondary school, college, and university. The ruling the powerful not even want to put their children in to the Cambodian educational system that they manage (if they realy manage it?).
If there is anyone sincerely care about Cambodia children? Article 48 of Cambodian Constitution states:
Article 48 - The State shall protect the rights of the children as stipulated in the Convention on Children, in particular, the right to life, education, protection during wartime, and from economic or sexual exploitation. The State shall protect children from acts that are injurious to their educational opportunities, health, and welfare.
The Cambodia government should be the very first to respect the Constitution, and help the children.
Article 49 - Every Khmer citizen shall respect the Constitution and laws.
The government is elected to manage the country and its resources on behalf of the people, distributed resouses and opportunites equitably among all the people.
If one would think that Viet Hanoi cancerous-lung Do(g)tor HUN SEN cares about Cambodia, one would have to think twice!!!
The economy is doing so well that it needs all the labour it can get.
Who says anything about high unemployment in Cambodia?
OOOO
Cambodia must comply to The International Child Labor Laws. Please stop this immediately.
Cambodia must comply to The International Child Labor Laws and please stop this immediately.
Ordinary Khmers
Re: Who says anything about high unemployment in Cambodia?
OOOO
8:14 PM
You know the word "unemployement" and you don't know chil labor law?
This sounds like another one of the Viet Hanoi U. do(g)torate. What a jack arse!
Oh, give me a break, Post7:39.
There are close to a million khmer
abroad attended the school
that you mentioned, yet I never
heard it created corporate CEO,
Congressman, Senetor ...,
All I heard is periodically, they
are send back to Cambodia for the
hardcore crime that they did.
So what is your point in telling
me about the school abroad, huh?
And what is your point with the
constitution. Anyone can write
anything on paper, but to
implimenting it, we neen money.
And without money, how are we
going to guarantee anything.
Wake up, will you? This is not
an idealistic world. We will
do with what we have, alright?
Solving problems of child labor, drug trafficking, and prostitutes are like you get up in the morning, going to work unitl you drop dead or retire. IT is called "the never ending story"
True, it cannot be completely
eliminated. No one is even trying,
but we should keep it under
control.
As for child labor I admit that it
is a problem if the child is under
14, not after. I used to sell
French baguets at 14, my dad used
to sell recycle news paper and tin
cans, so as my grandfathers....
It did not harmed anyone.
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