Indonesia employs three million child laborers: Survey

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.