RI must eliminate child labor: ILO

RI must eliminate child labor: ILO

P.C. Naommy, Jakarta

Indonesian child domestic workers asked the government on Monday
to give them a better future by providing access to education and
protecting them from abuse and exploitation.

"The government should ensure our right to have time to rest,
because it's impossible for us to work 24 hours a day," said
Sherly, a housemaid under 18 years old.

Sherly addressed her plea to participants of a public hearing
focusing on child domestic workers held by the International
Labor Organization-International Program on the Elimination of
Child Labor (ILO-IPEC) at the auditorium of the National Library
to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labor which fell on
June 12.

The latest survey conducted by the ILO in 2003 showed that
there are 2.6 million domestic workers in Indonesia, 700,000 of
them children under the age of 18. The number is the highest
among developing countries, with Brazil recording 559,000,
Pakistan 264,000, Haiti 250,000, Kenya 200,000 and Sri Lanka
100,000.

Deputy of child protection at the Office of the State Minister
for Women's Empowerment Rahmat Santika said that the number was
high due to lack of law enforcement in the country.

"A survey showed that 63.8 percent of Indonesian workers had
fake identity cards made in order to get jobs. The high rate of
fake IDs is possible because 26 percent of 90.2 million
Indonesian children have no birth certificate," said Rahmat.

Director of the ILO Alan Boulton said that the government
needed to prohibit the employment of children under the age of 15
as domestic workers. Indonesia currently has 200,000 child
domestic workers under 15 years of age.

"It doesn't mean that they can't help out, but being in a
full-time job will mean they have no opportunity to go to school,
to play, and enjoy life," he said.

Working children of the ages 15 to 18 are also prone to sexual
abuse, physical exploitation, and discrimination, so they will
need extra protection, said Boulton.

ILO set up a pilot project for child domestic worker
empowerment in Bekasi and Tangerang in 2002, with the help of
several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the
Children's Welfare Foundation (YKAI), Network for Child Labor
(JARAK), and Rumpun Gema Perempuan.

In the pilot project, child domestic workers who obtain
permission from their employers are able to develop their
abilities and creativity in classes conducted by the NGOs.

The NGOs train the children to sew or make other saleable
products, such as ornaments. Head of the research and development
division at YKAI, Tata Sudrajat, said that the training sessions
took place twice a week or effectively three hours a day.

ILO also supports one day off for children who work as
domestic workers, and the policy may become an administrative
regulation.

"We have asked their employers to provide one day off for the
children, so they would have time to do other activities, such as
play with their friends or just take a break," said Tata.

According to the survey, some 79.3 percent of employers agreed
with the idea, and the rest said no, especially if the policy
were to become a regulation.

Also attending the public hearing was vice presidential
candidate Siswono Yudohusodho. During the discussion, Siswono
said that if their situation was such that the children had to
work, they should not be required to do heavy work.

He added that if he were elected he would advocate the
establishment of a regulation requiring people who employed
children as domestic workers to send them to school.