Protection from Exploitation | | Movimento Globale per i Diritti dell’Infanzia

Every child has the right to protection from economic exploitation and not to be forced into activities that involve risks or are harmful to their physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.

Art. 32
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The exploitation of child labour deprives boys and girls of their childhood, of their dignity by negatively affecting their psycho-physical development, preventing them from enjoying their rights such as going to school, playing and enjoying their affections.

For the first time in 20 years, progress in combating child labour exploitation has come to a halt. Globally, 1 in 10 children between the ages of 5 and 17 is forced to work (160 million child labourers worldwide), half of whom, 79 million, are forced into hazardous work that can damage their health and psycho-physical development. Examples of these are working in mines, in contact with chemicals and agricultural pesticides or with dangerous machinery. Many minors are involved in the production processes of the globalised economy: in agriculture, mining, services and industries producing goods for export. They are often imprisoned, marginalised, exposed to physical and psychological suffering. (UNICEF)

Among the worst forms of child labour is street work, i.e. the employment of all those children who survive by collecting rubbish for recycling, begging or selling food and drink. (Indifesa Report Terre des Hommes)

If the various types of child labour can be quantified to some extent, one more than others is invisible and escapes statistical evaluation: it is domestic and family work, in which mainly girls are employed.

However, sometimes the work is seen by the children themselves as an opportunity for autonomy and help for their families. It is important to combat economic exploitation while recognising the diversity and needs of each child, protecting them from exploitation and accompanying their choices.