violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

6IntroductionOf all the settings where children are exposedto violence, the workplace is among the mostdifficult to address. According to internationalinstruments and most national laws, childrenunder a certain age (usually 15 but sometimeslower; see Table 6.1) should not be in the workplaceat all, let alone in a workplace where theymay be subject to violence. Yet well over 200million children and adolescents do work, atages both below and above the minimum legalage, 1 and many suffer ill-treatment, physical andpsychological violence, verbal or sexual abuse.Violence is a neglected aspect of debates onchild labour; there are little data available,especially for child workers in the informaleconomy where the majority are to be found.Although specific studies are few, a growingbody of information from organisations andfrom children themselves presents a convincingpicture of an acute global problem. Violencetowards working children has only remained‘invisible’ because the direct question is rarelyposed: for example, participants in the Study’sSouth Asia consultation noted that data aresystematically collected on violence againstfemale and other workers, but child workersare ignored. They also commented that valuesand perceptions have served to minimise andeven undermine the issue of workplace violenceagainst children – a comment that appliesequally elsewhere.Addressing violence has also been largelyabsent from explicit efforts to eliminate childlabour, or to reduce its harmful and negativeaspects for those young people who are workinglegally. This is surprising, given that theimage of child labour derives from the brutalitiessuffered by children in 19th century factoriesand mines. 2 Overt or implied violencewas integral to the view of workplace abuse ofchildren informing early campaigns againstchild labour. The effects on children’s physicalgrowth and well-being were among the mostpotent arguments for its elimination.The most obvious response to violence againstchildren in the workplace is to remove themfrom it. However, it is important to recognisethat for many children this is not an easyoption. Programmes to remove children fromviolent workplaces have to ensure that thereasons they are there – economic, social andcultural – are simultaneously addressed, orthey will simply return to them. Unless programmesengage with child workers and theirfamilies and seek to change attitudes, expectationsand prospects, they are not likely toremove children permanently from an exploitativeworking life. 3,4,5,6It is also important not to further violate thewell-being of children who work by penalisingor criminalising them for circumstancesbeyond their control (see also the chapterson violence against children in the communityand in care and justice institutions). 7 Thereduction of violence against children in theworkplace is not achieved by inflicting officialviolence on them, and deepening the stigmatisationthey already endure. Young workershave themselves made a contribution, throughStudy Consultations, to an understanding of233Violence against children in places of work