June 12, 2004
UN: Children Working Slave-Like Conditions
Associated Press

An estimated 10 million children worldwide are forced to work in slave-like conditions as domestic servants in private homes, the United Nations' labor agency said Thursday.

By JONATHAN FOWLER, Associated Press Writer

GENEVA - An estimated 10 million children worldwide are forced to work in slave-like conditions as domestic servants in private homes, the United Nations (news - web sites)' labor agency said Thursday.

The International Labor Organization said in a new report that in parts of West Africa, Central America and Asia, thousands of girls as young as 8 work 15 or more hours a day, seven days a week, for little or no pay.

The child workers — who are employed in homes where having servants is a sign of social status — are sometimes sexually abused. Some even forget their own names after being called simply "girl" or "boy" for years, the study found.

More troubling was that employing children as domestic servants is accepted or tolerated in many places, said June Kane, author of the 112-page ILO study.

"Sadly, many countries don't see domestic child labor as a problem," she said.

The report found South Africa had the highest number of children working as servants — 2 million. Other countries with high numbers of working children were Indonesia, with 700,000; Brazil, with 559,000; and Pakistan, with 264,000.

In some homes, child servants must light fires before their employer's family wakes up. They cook, clean and take other children to school, Kane said.

When they are considered too old, many are kicked out by their employers but end up living on the streets because they have no idea how — or where — to find their families.

Putting children to work is often considered an alternative for poor families who cannot afford to feed them, the study found. Parents rarely receive money from their children's labors.

Domestic service also is seen as preparation for marriage for girls and employers are often viewed as benefactors, the study said. Increasing numbers of AIDS (news - web sites) orphans and the traditionally low status of women and girls in many countries also push children into domestic labor.

Human Rights Watch said it had found similar problems.

"Child domestic workers around the world endure abuse as well as exploitation," said Jo Becker, head of the U.S.-based group's campaign for youngsters.

The ILO estimates about 246 million children worldwide have jobs which take up all or most of the time they could spend in school. Of that number, nearly half are involved in what the agency calls the "worst forms of child labor" — prostitution, mining and slave labor in different industries.

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On the Net:

International Labor Organization: http://www.ilo.org

Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org

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