Child Labor In Latin America

The use of child labor has been used for a long time and is most seen in developing countries. Luckily there have been organizations that have been formed to put a stop on this problem, such as the International Labor Organization. Of course, before trying to end a problem is important to know why children are working rather than engaging in activities that every child should such as going to school. Many of the jobs the children participate in are harmful to their health. A specific job field in which harms the health of children in Latin America is agriculture. There are several possible solutions which can be implemented to stop children from working in jobs which harm their health. But it is also crucial in that children and adolescent’s …show more content…
Child labor can affect the child in many forms. Children working in hazardous conditions “rob them of their right to education and threaten their lives and health (Colombini,74).” Child labor is used in many forms of labor. “They are engaged in agricultural labor on family farms and commercial plantations, in mining and quarrying, in the manufacturing of chemicals and explosives and a wide range of commercial products, in scavenging and begging on the streets (Colombini,75).” Of course, there are other many other forms of child labor. But every form of child labor affects the “children’s safety and opportunity for normal development. Their physical health is endangered; their social, intellectual, and moral development is jeopardized by absent or inadequate schooling and the lack of opportunities for play and socialization; and their psychological well-being is threatened by the traumatic results of prolonged abuse, deprivation, and neglect …show more content…
The International Labor Organization(ILO) is “the United Nations agency mandated to promote social justice and fundamental human and labor rights. Abolishing child labor has been a priority for the ILO since its founding in 1919.” (Colombini,) This organization has created programs within it, one of these programs is called International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC). IPEC goal is “the elimination of child labor worldwide, emphasizing the eradication of the worst forms as rapidly as possible.”(Colombini 78) The IPEC tries to achieve this through several forms such as using “country-based programs which promote policy reform and put in place concrete measures to end child labor, and through international and national campaigning intended to change social attitudes and promote ratification and effective implementation of ILO child labor Conventions.”(Colombini,78) Since child labor is a global problem IPEC “operates in nineteen different Latin American countries and ninety-two countries worldwide.”(Nam) The ILO has been working for a long time