Child workers under health threats: ILO<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A local official of the International Labor
\nOrganization (ILO) called for greater public attention toward
\nchild workers, whose daily activities expose them to grave health
\nand safety threats.<\/p>\n
Pandji Putranto, the national program coordinator for the
\nInternational Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, named
\ntwo kinds of labor that place children particularly at risk. The
\ntwo are agriculture works and domestic works.<\/p>\n
"Girls who work as domestic servants away from home are
\nfrequent victims of physical, mental and sexual abuses," he said
\nyesterday. "Efforts to help children should be more sharply
\nfocused on the most abusive and hazardous forms of child labor."<\/p>\n
Pandji was announcing the plan to hold the Second National
\nConference on Child Labor Problems in Indonesia on July 24 to
\nJuly 26 at Wisma Kenasih, Bogor, West Java. Coordinating Minister
\nfor People's Welfare Azwar Anas will open the gathering which
\nwill hear from Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief.<\/p>\n
A June 1996 report of the International Labor Organization
\nrevealed another "extremely serious problem" with child labor,
\nnamely child slavery. "It exists here, too," Pandji said.<\/p>\n
He cited a number of cases where children were forced to work
\non plantations or at sea in order to pay off their parents' debts
\nin the provinces of North Sumatra and East Java.<\/p>\n
Pandji pointed out that child labor contributes significantly
\nto a family's economy. "Girls who help their parents baby sitting
\nactually contribute to the family's income. It's not fair if
\npeople think those girls are not working," Pandji said.<\/p>\n
The government and many social organizations, however, pay
\ngreater attention to street children, he said.<\/p>\n
"Many programs and funds are given to help street children.
\nNone of the programs directly focus on child labor," Pandji said.<\/p>\n
"India provides US$300 million to help solve the problem of
\nchild labor. Here, we receive only a small amount, considering
\nthe $250,000 allocated by the Ministry of Social Services for
\nstreet children," Pandji said.<\/p>\n
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics data in 1994,
\nthere were about 1.9 million children between 10 to 14 years old
\nwho were considered economically active children. Seventy percent
\nof them were recorded as working in the agricultural sector, but
\nexperts believe the figure could be higher. (31)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/child-workers-under-health-threats-ilo-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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