Indonesia employs three million child laborers: Survey
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
More than three million school-aged children in the country work in numerous sectors to help support their family.
According to the recent national labor survey conducted by the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, of the 4.5 child workers, more than three million work voluntarily for economic reasons, while 1.5 million are forced to work.
Almost 40 percent of child laborers aged between 10 and 17 work in the agricultural sector, while the remaining 60 percent are employed in factories, trade and in the informal sector.
"The high number of child laborers in the country is linked to the high number of people living in poverty," Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris said after receiving the ILO executive director of standards and fundamental principles and rights at work, Kari Tapiola, here on Tuesday.
Reliable sources at the ministry said many children have been trafficked for the purpose of prostitution and many others have been recruited by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group in Aceh to take up arms to fight for independence for the resource- rich province.
The ILO expressed appreciation for the Indonesian government's program to phase out child labor but said it would take time to eliminate completely.
"The child labor condition in Indonesia is improving. It will take time to eliminate it completely. It was not an issue 20 years ago, but, at present, the government has carried out programs to phase it out gradually.
"Most importantly the government has stepped up the economic development program to eradicate poverty, which is blamed for the high child labor figure," Tapiola said, adding that it was not relevant to compare labor child conditions here with other countries.
He said further that besides forging cooperation in the field of training, the ILO and the Indonesian government would launch a book entitled: Combating Child Labor: Handbook for Labor Inspectors.
"This book will be useful for labor inspectors to help eliminate child labor in the country," he added.
ILO representative in Indonesia Alan Boulton who accompanied Tapiola in the meeting with the minister, said the ILO had also forged cooperation with the Aceh provincial administration to train tsunami victims in Aceh in a bid to help them get new jobs.
"We have provided training for tsunami victims in temporary shelters and their children so that they can have new jobs during the planned reconstruction and after their permanent resettlement," he said.
Fahmi, also chairman of the National Committee for Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, said that with the ratification of ILO Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labor, 13 provinces and six regencies have taken necessary measures to eliminate child labor.
"The provinces and regencies have enacted bylaws prohibiting child labor, especially in mines and fisheries," he said.
He acknowledged that the limited budget and the lack of training centers have been the main obstacles for the government to eliminate child labor.
"Child labor must be tackled indirectly by empowering disadvantaged families. The government has encouraged state-owned banks to provide soft loans for small- and middle-scale enterprises and cooperatives to help eradicate poverty so that poor families can send their children to school," he said.