In August 2021, CSC shared a survey with our network members to find out more about their views on child labour, as well as learn about any work they and their partners do to address this issue.
We were really pleased with the response, so a big thank you to everyone who completed the survey; the findings will help inform our advocacy and campaigning work whilst also support us in identifying opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Following the circulation of the survey, CSC would now like to take the opportunity to share the findings; we hope you find this learning useful.
Projects related to child labour
Over 85% of members who responded to the survey said that they worked on projects which related either directly or indirectly to child labour. Some examples of relevant projects included: drop-in centres where children can receive food, accommodation and washing facilities, projects supporting children to trace their families if this is something they wished to do, and programmes providing counselling services.
Most organisations responded that they supported children both in work that was harmful, as well as non-harmful, and provided examples of which kinds of work children were engaged in.
Examples of harmful work included:
- Child labour in waste disposal sites
- Working in the leather sector
- Selling goods on the side of roads
- Working in mines
- Working in brick kilns and laying bricks
Examples of non-harmful work included:
- Farming and/or helping to raise livestock
- Working as an apprentice
- Selling goods in ‘safe’ environments i.e. inside shops
- Helping with the family shop/business after school
- Gardening and/or other household chores
The majority of organisations were aware of campaigns to eliminate child labour in their countries; these were led by either the government or by NGOs. On the other hand, only a few organisations were aware of Child Labour Unions; nonetheless, one example of a Child Labour Union that was provided was The Concerned for Working Children in India.
Views on child labour
As well as finding out more about the work that network members do to explore and address child labour, the purpose of CSC’s survey was to also find out more about the views network members had on child labour.
- Those who responded to the survey felt most strongly about eliminating child labour, with 40% of respondents strongly agreeing that “child labour in all its forms should be eliminated regardless of the circumstances and type of work being carried out”.
- There was also a strong feeling towards the statements that “children should always be rescued if they are found in child labour” and “child labour bans are an effective way to promote children’s well-being”, with almost 70% of respondents either agreeing or strongly agreeing with these statements.
- The majority of respondents also agreed that “the only way to address child labour is to listen to children’s views and act on them”.
- There was additional agreement that “children should be supported to work in safe conditions with fair wages where it is necessary for them to work”, with almost 70% of respondents either agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement.
- There was less consensus regarding what age was appropriate for young people to work in safe conditions with fair wages. Half of respondents believed that the appropriate age was 18, whilst the other half provided a wide spectrum of views ranging from “12 years old” to “any age”.
Thank you
Finally, a big thank you once again to everyone who contributed to the survey; we really appreciate the time everyone took to complete this, and the results will be very useful in guiding CSC’s work.
If you would like to discuss the survey or CSC’s work on child labour, please do get in touch at advocacy@streetchildren.org.
If you are interested in CSC’s work on the Child Labour Action Research Innovation in South and South-East Asia programme, we recommend you sign up to the programme newsletter by clicking here.