Worst Form Hazards faced by Children at Work

The Worst Form Hazards faced by Children at Work is a provision in the Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation (No. 190) adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1999, which sets out the framework for each ratifying country's specific examination of and the criteria they use to determine "work which, by its nature or the cicumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety, or morals or children" (C182, Article 3d). This effort is an attempt to compliment the Pre-defined worst forms of child labour. Hazardous conditions are said to be faced by over 250 million children worldwide, though the actual overall figures are likely significantly higher than these estimates.

Examples of the type of work settings hazardous to children

The ILO provides countries with the following guidelines for work considered unsafe for children, such as work which:

• Involves toxic chemicals or fumes, high-powered equipment or vehicles, cutting, pounding or blasting.

• Takes place underground, under water, at heights, in isolation, at night, in the hot sun.

• Involves long hours, no breaks, carrying heavy loads, a rapid or slow tedious pace.

• Where alcohol, drugs, or crime are common, where there are dangerous animals, snakes or insects, far from safe water or food.

Specific examples of the type of work hazardous to children

The following are some specific examples of the types of labour considered unsafe for children:

• Hauling wagons in underground mines
• Drawing molten glass in extreme heat
• Contact with solvents and glues in the leather industry
• Lead poisoning in glass works
• Mercury poisoning in gold-mining
• Deep-sea diving without protective equipment such as a wetsuit and compressed airtank in the fishing industry
• Exposure to pesticides in agriculture
• Bearing heavy loads in the construction industry

See also

• Child labour
• Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (Convention No. 182)
• International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
• Time-Bound Programmes for the Eradication of the Worst forms of Child Labour

External links

• Eliminating the worst forms of child labour: A practical guide to ILO Convention No. 182 (PDF)
• International Research on Working Children (IREWOC)