Hey everyone!
For my practice experience, I will be working with an
organization in Kanchipuram, India called the Rural Institute for Development
Education (RIDE). RIDE’s main objective is to eliminate child labor in the
villages and provide bridge education programs for former child laborers. The
organization asserts that child labor violates the right to personal integrity
and the right to an education.
While conducting research, it has become apparent that a
subsection of opponents to child labor assumes a strictly rights-based approach
and ignores the protectionist claims of the other sections. The Children’s
Rights Division at Human Rights Watch subscribes to this belief, arguing that
child domestic labor in particular is “hidden slavery. Therefore, it’s unacceptable.
It is the responsibility of government to restore freedom, dignity, and
childhood to keep the promises they have been making.” On February 25, HRW
distributed a letter to global ministers of labor, urging national government
to adopt an ILO Convention from June 2011. This new ILO Convention—only
ratified by a few nations thus far—would help eliminate child domestic labor.
Though the sentiment behind the letter may be genuine and
apolitical, I wonder about the effectiveness of such an approach. Does sending
a letter to a government minister influence politics in many developing nations?
Is there any guarantee the Minister will see and heed the recommendations in
the letter? Even if the government does follow the proposals of HRW and
ratifies the convention, there is no guarantee such action will have an effect
on the child workers. Many of the workers are employed in the informal sector,
a portion of society over which the government cannot exercise power. In such
cases, what good does having a law better the lives of the affected
communities? These questions continue to arise as I conduct my research and
raise concerns over whether there is a feasible solution to the problem of
child labor.
HRW Press Release:
HRW Letter to Ministers: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/2013_Global_NGO_Letter_to_Ministers_of_Labor.pdf
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