How painful is child labor
Worried about the pain of labor and delivery? It’s not as bad as you think!
CHICAGO – Few things are more daunting for first-time moms than the prospect of childbirth. They wonder: Will my baby be OK? What will labor and delivery be like? How painful will it be, and can I handle it? Moms who have been there offer the low-down on labor and delivery and their message is comforting. Yes, childbirth is painful. But it’s manageable. In fact, nearly half of first-time moms (46 percent) said the pain they experienced with their first child was better than they expected, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) in honor of Mother’s Day.
The survey findings suggest that being proactive in managing pain with your physician anesthesiologist is important, whether laboring moms demand an epidural right away, choose other medical pain management methods, use complementary techniques only or opt for a combination. Nine out of 10 women said pain management was effective, no matter what method they chose. (Click here to download infographic)
But the survey also revealed that many first-time moms held some false beliefs about labor pain management before they experienced childbirth:
• 74 percent thought you couldn’t have an epidural after a certain time in labor (you can have one up until the baby’s head begins emerging, known as crowning)
• 44 percent feared pain at the epidural injection site would last for a prolonged time
• 26 percent believed an epidural slows labor
• Most concerning, 20 percent believed only one pain management option could be provided during labor and 16 percent thought about it but didn’t know
Expectant mothers should work with their health care providers, including their physician anesthesiologist, to discuss what pain management methods may work best for them. They should talk to their physicians to find out who will administer their anesthesia if they decide to have pain medication during labor.
Anesthesia care should be led by a physician anesthesiologist, a medical doctor specializing in anesthesia, pain and critical care medicine, who will work with all of the mother’s physicians to develop and administer her pain management plan.
“First-time mothers need to know that a wide variety of options exist to manage pain, from epidural to massage, nitrous oxide to breathing techniques and that it’s acceptable to change methods or use a combination during nearly every stage of labor,” said ASA President James D. Grant, M.D., M.B.A., FASA. “But it’s also important to be flexible, since it may be necessary to change pain management methods based on the labor process itself.”
When it hurt most and what it was like
While slightly more than half said having contractions was the most painful aspect of delivery, about one in five noted pushing or post-delivery was most painful. Moms 18 to 39 were more likely to say post-delivery pain was the most painful aspect than those 40 and older.
The most common description of the level of pain experienced was extreme menstrual cramps (45 percent), while 16 percent said it was like bad back pain and 15 percent compared it to a broken bone.
Health and safety are top of mind
It’s no surprise that when choosing a pain relief option, nearly all mothers (99 percent) said the health and safety of themselves and the baby was an important factor in their decision. Not far behind was making sure the pain relief option didn’t delay the labor process (86 percent) as well as being able to enjoy the labor and delivery experience (84 percent). But the importance of other factors diverged depending on the pain method chosen. Having no pain during labor was very or somewhat important to women who chose medical methods (epidural, medication delivered through an IV or injection, spinal block or nitrous oxide) only (79 percent) compared to women who opted for complementary methods (breathing, water birth, massage, visualization or hypnosis) only (37 percent).
Being able to move around during labor was important to 90 percent of moms who only had complementary methods, while just 60 percent of moms who had medical methods only agreed.
So, what pain management did they choose?
While the epidural reigned supreme as the most common option, chosen by 73 percent, 40 percent of women used complementary methods. Additionally, pain management during labor and delivery may not be “one size fits all,” with 31 percent having used both medical and complementary methods. More than half used medical methods only and 9 percent chose complementary methods only. Sixty-five percent of women who had medical options only said they were very effective in managing pain, while 39 percent who had complementary methods only said they were very effective.
And while nitrous oxide has received a lot of attention recently, the survey results suggest it’s rarely used. Only 2 percent of moms had nitrous oxide, and none 40 and older or who lived in the Midwest used it to manage labor pain.
Before childbirth, slightly more than 1 in 10 thought nitrous oxide relieved pain and 63 percent didn’t think about it at all. “This suggests that despite the buzz, nitrous oxide may not be widely available yet, or that mothers aren’t convinced it would be very helpful,” said Dr. Grant.
In the future
If they were to give birth again, most moms would choose the pain management method, whether medical and/or complementary, they originally chose during their first childbirth, with the majority (60 percent) opting again for an epidural to manage their pain.
Women were split on the pain management advice they would give to first-time prospective moms – 21 percent would recommend getting an epidural as fast as possible, while 20 percent say try complementary methods first and if they don’t work, try other options. However, 43 percent of mothers agree that choosing one’s pain management method is a personal decision and you need to opt for those that work best for you.
“Every woman’s pain during labor is different and talking with your health care provider and physician anesthesiologist can help you decide which pain management method will give you the best labor and delivery experience,” said Dr. Grant. “Women may choose to use none, some or more than one pain management method depending on how labor progresses."
The 10-question ORC International CARAVAN® Omnibus Survey was conducted online April 3-11 among 912 mothers (18 years or older) of children ages 0-8, whose first child was born either via vaginal childbirth or Cesarean section (C-section) after the onset of labor. Ultimately, 73 percent had a vaginal childbirth.
For more information about pain management during labor and delivery and the importance of seeing a physician anesthesiologist, visit asahq.org/labor.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology.
ASA is committed to ensuring that physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during, and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care that every patient deserves.
For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Like ASA on Facebook; follow ASALifeline on Twitter.
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How Painful Is Childbirth, Really?
Moaning, screaming, and cursing. These are some of the pleasant sounds commonly associated with childbirth.
You’ve likely seen birth graphically depicted on television, or if you’re pregnant, all of your family and friends may have decided to share their harrowing birth stories with you. If you’re like most women, this has led to a lot of fear about the amount of pain you’ll face during labor.
Is this really the truth about birth though? How much pain will you actually experience? Can you do anything to diminish that pain? While birth is different for everyone, we’ve got the information, tips, and tricks to help you feel prepared for the pain of childbirth.
Every person’s experience with birth will be different. Pain is subjective and can vary greatly. This means that you may have a very different pain experience from even your mother or sister.
It’s important to remember that the pain of childbirth is a manageable one, and both medicated and more holistic pain relief measures like visualization and massage are available.
Despite what you may have seen on YouTube or elsewhere, there’s no reliable unit to measure pain. Back in the 1940s, researchers tried to employ a device known as the dolorimeter, which used the heat from a light source, to establish levels of pain.
However, this measurement fell out of favor with growing evidence that pain isn’t solely dependent on an isolated physical sensation.
Rather, it’s affected by a person’s fears, mood, memories, and personality, as well as factors like the duration and overall experience of the pain source.
Your healthcare provider will likely ask you to track and quantify your pain by rating it on a scale. They may discuss the intensity of the pain and your feelings about your ability to work through or manage it. This information will help them determine the appropriate pain relief options with you.
Pain is not necessarily consistent during the labor process, and you’ll probably experience breaks from it between contractions or while pushing. Although, you may notice though that it increases after your water breaks or as labor picks up, and that some elements of the pain are temporary while others continue for a period of time after giving birth.
When you think about the pain of childbirth, just remember that it’s purposeful, anticipated, intermittent, and a necessary part of your baby coming into this world!
You can expect to experience a variety of sensations during the end of your pregnancy and labor.
During pregnancy, you may experience Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are usually irregular and inconsistent. They tend to be felt in the abdominal area and make the belly feel tight, causing discomfort more than pain.
One thing that sets these contractions apart from labor contractions is that they don’t become more consistent, stronger, and longer. (If you would like to reduce the discomfort of Braxton Hicks, you can try drinking some more water, changing position, or resting on your left side.)
Early labor
In the early stages of labor, contractions will increase in intensity and frequency as they fall into a steady pattern.
Early labor contractions will usually cause the abdomen to feel tight to the touch. You may also experience a dull backache, feelings of pressure in the abdomen and pelvis, and sensations similar to those of intense menstrual cramping.
When contractions begin, they may only be 30 to 45 seconds in length with several minutes of rest in between.
Active labor
As labor progresses, contractions may feel like they are wrapping around your body from the back to the front. You may also begin to notice cramping and discomfort in your legs as the contractions become more frequent and last closer to 1 minute in length.
When you’re approximately 8 centimeters dilated, you may have 30 seconds to 1 to 2 minutes between contractions as you prepare to enter the pushing stage of labor. During this time it’s not uncommon to feel lightheaded, nauseous, and have hot flashes or chills.
Pushing
When you are fully dilated (around 10 cm) and it’s time to push, you may feel an intense pressure that feels like you need to poop. You can relax a little knowing that your body is just telling you that it’s ready for you to help push out your baby.
During this period, you’ll typically be instructed to push with the peaks of your contractions. Because you’re pushing with the contractions, many women find these contractions less painful than the contractions helping them to dilate.
Other parts of the experience may also cause discomfort or pain, including an episiotomy or vaginal tearing. You may also feel muscle pain or fatigue from pushing or experience uncomfortable side effects from medications used during labor.
If you’re feeling nervous about giving birth, there are things you can do before and during labor to decrease your pain (and increase your chance of having a positive birthing experience!).
Before giving birth
Exercise frequently
While you may need to modify your normal exercise plan, it’s worth continuing to exercise during pregnancy. Regular exercise during pregnancy not only helps control your blood pressure, mood, and weight but also can help keep your body in shape for the work of labor.
Take a birth preparation class
Knowing what’s ahead can help you relax and feel more comfortable during labor. Most birth preparation classes include instruction on comfort measures during labor, so you and your partner can get ideas and practice before the big event.
(While you’re at it, you may also want to sign up for a baby care or breastfeeding class!)
Eat well and take your prenatal vitamins
It’s important to put the right nutrients in your body to help your baby grow properly and give yourself energy for labor.
Consider optimal fetal positioning
It’s easier to birth your baby when they’re in an optimal position. If your baby is breech or transverse, you may want to consider actions that will encourage them to shift their position… before you go into labor!
During labor
Pain relief during labor is a personal choice. You can try any combination of the following methods.
Breathing techniques
Whether you choose to follow a particular breathing routine during labor or just need to do some low vocalizations to help you through the more intense contractions, focusing on your breathing can help you manage the pain.
Water
Even if you don’t want to give birth in water, spending some time in a shower or bath can help relieve the pain of childbirth.
Being in water has been found to be particularly effective in the first stage of labor. It can help relieve both pain and anxiety. If you have access to a moveable showerhead, aiming warm water directly onto the lower back may feel especially pleasant.
Massage and counterpressure
Many different types of massage can help manage pain during labor. Foot, hand, back, and shoulder rubs may all appeal to you. One study from 2010 found that a 15-minute massage each hour during labor helped alleviate pain and was even associated with shorter labor.
Additionally, perineal massage can help protect and prepare the perineum for the stretching involved in birthing a baby.
In addition to massage, many women enjoy pressure being strategically placed on parts of their body to help counteract the discomforts they may be feeling.
Music
Music can lower stress and blood pressure. It can also improve your mood! But can it really help with pain during labor? Yes — a large meta-analysis found that music interventions helped alleviate pain and anxiety during labor.
Visualization or hypnosis
Guided imagery, hypnotic tracks, and other visuals can all help relax a mother in labor and relieve pain.
Movement
Walking, rocking on a birthing ball, or even slow dancing with your partner can help labor progress and relieve some of the discomforts you may be feeling.
Experimenting with different positions, including sitting, standing, or squatting, may also help reduce pain. One study found squatting offered the most pain reduction, but you can experiment with what feels best for you.
A doula
Research shows that having a doula present at your birth can lead to a better birth outcome. A doula can help with positioning/counterpressure, offer suggestions for comfort measures, advocate for your choices, and help answer your questions throughout the laboring process.
Not sure where to find a doula? Start here.
A TENS unit
Many people have found some pain relief during labor by stimulating their lower back with a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit.
(Some hospitals even have TENS devices that you can borrow during labor!)
Aromatherapy
If you’re feeling nauseous or anxious, peppermint, lavender, or some citrus essential oils may provide some relief during labor.
IV narcotics
Intravenous (IV) narcotics offer some of the pain relief of an epidural for a more limited time. As in the case of an epidural, nausea, headaches, drowsiness, and the transmission of medication to the baby are potential risks.
For a woman seeking a brief reprieve from the intensity of birth, an IV narcotic can be a very appealing pain relief option.
Nitrous oxide
While you may have seen it during dental visits, in the United States nitrous oxide is less commonly used as a pain relief option during childbirth. It’s a fast-acting option for pain and anxiety relief that doesn’t stay in the system as long as narcotics.
Nitrous oxide has been used for over a century and is generally considered safe for the mother and baby.
While it’s used regularly in some locations around the world, you’ll need to check with your provider as to whether it’s available where you’re delivering.
Epidural
The most common pain medication for birthing mothers in the United States, an epidural can relieve the pain a mother is feeling within 10 to 20 minutes. Most hospitals provide epidural analgesia, and if your pain is beyond a manageble level, you can request one.
The vast majority of women who receive an epidural feel pressure and not pain from that point on in their labor. (Many women can even sleep while laboring once the epidural has been placed.)
There’s some risk that an epidural will result in a specific type of headache, pushing may be more difficult, your lower half may remain numb for a period of time after giving birth, or you may react to the medication used in the epidural. Still, many women find that the pain relief an epidural offers outweighs these risks.
There’s no way to know exactly what childbirth will be like for you.
Even if you have given birth before, each experience is different. Taking steps to prepare beforehand and using comfort measures during labor can reduce the pain of childbirth.
There’s no reason to be fearful about giving birth. While it’s called labor for a reason, millions of babies are born each year. You’re not alone! Your care provider can work with you to ensure that you have the medication and holistic pain reduction measures you need to handle your contractions.
Is child labor so harmful?
The very concept of “child labor” currently accepted is rather illogical and contradictory, which is why the methods by which states try to protect children from it sometimes really have nothing to do with the realities of life. Michael Dwyer / Alamy Stock Photo Very often initiatives that always want the best only make things worse for working children in poor countries. One of these initiatives is the so-called "Kharkin-Engel Protocol", which, on the whole, has not achieved its goals.
What is this about?
The original Russian version of the material was prepared by Nina Shulyakova.
The so-called "Harkin-Engel Protocol" was initiated by US Senator Tom Harkin and local American politician Eliot Engel as a reaction to numerous media reports published in 2000 and 2001, which dealt with both child slavery and child trafficking under the production of cocoa beans, the main raw material for the production of chocolate, for which Switzerland is so famous.
At the moment we have to conclude that this initiative as a whole has not achieved its goals. In addition, it is possible that such protocols, which seem to “want the best”, in principle only worsen the situation of children and families critically dependent on child labor in poor countries.
How can that be? Let's try to figure it out.
At 6 o'clock in the morning, the mother gently wakes eleven-year-old Samuel Obini. In fact, it doesn't exist. Samuel is a composite of an NGO-reported average ideal type of child laborer in Ghana, the African country that produces the cocoa beans that are then used to make the world-favorite Swiss chocolate.
After a light breakfast of corn porridge, he goes to the family's approximately two acres (1 acre = 0.405 ha) to help the adults harvest cocoa. For about three months a year, such a Samuel leaves school and goes to work so that his family can save enough money to pay for his own education. Samuel's two older brothers have already left home in search of work in the city of Kumasi, the second largest city after the country's capital, Accra, 260 kilometers northwest of it.
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Two younger sisters are still too young to help adults, and parents do not have money to hire laborers to help them.
You have to work manually, as different cocoa fruits on the same tree ripen at different times. Samuel's working tool is a long stick with a metal hook at the end. Having completed his daily allowance, he splits the fruits with a small machete and takes out their white pulp with cocoa beans.
Samuel Obini is not a criminal, but what he does is basically illegal. During the working day on the farm, he is forced to engage in many activities that are considered dangerous and unacceptable for minors, even in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code in force in Ghana: Samuel collected cocoa fruits growing at high altitude with sharp tools, split the fruits with a sharp knife and worked without any protective clothing and footwear. In addition, he has not yet reached the minimum age of 13, after which children in Ghana can engage in "light work activities".
Switzerland is the land of chocolate. And this delicate product here also regularly becomes the subject of public debate.
For example, recently the head of Läderach spoke out against gay marriage, social networks immediately exploded with indignation and called for a boycott of “homophobic” chocolate, and the SWISS airline immediately, well, just in case, terminated supply agreements with this company - as they say to avoid reputational damage. Well, someone has small pearls, and someone, like Samuel, has to spend all summer on his family's plantations in order to be able to go to school the rest of the year. Different countries, different problems!
Unfulfilled obligations
And now let's move our minds to Geneva, where the headquarters of the International Labor Organization (ILO) is located. It is this structure that develops global norms and rules governing child labor. As our Samuel gathers cocoa, in 2021 the city of Geneva and the ILO are celebrating the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor. At the same time, the already mentioned Harkin-Engel Protocol, the participants of which were the governments of the United States, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, the ILO itself and the leading manufacturers of finished chocolate products, is also terminated in the same year.
Its official goal was to "eliminate the worst forms of child labor in cocoa production".
True, none of the objectives of the Protocol were achieved within the timeframes set (in 2005, 2008 and 2010), after which it was amended simplifyingly, according to which the extent of the use of the worst forms of exploitation of the labor of children in the production of cocoa beans of such countries like Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire by 2020 should have been reduced by 70%. Now let's guess from three times, were these goals achieved? Of course not, primarily due to the lack of real monitoring of the implementation of the terms of the Protocol, due to the constant expansion of cocoa cultivation areas and the equally constantly changing definitions of what is, in fact, "child labor".
The latest numbers do not look very optimistic: a 2020 US Department of Labor report found that 1.56 million children were still involved in cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, with 95% of them involved in harmful jobs.
Whether the use of the worst forms of child labor has been reduced by 70% compared to 2010 is impossible to say, since the methodology used in compiling the latest study differed significantly from previous versions. The main thing is that there is no more homophobic chocolate in the cabins of SWISS aircraft. Well, what about the fact that the proportion of children aged 5 to 17 years employed in the "impact facilities" of the cocoa industry has increased from 31% over the past decade (2008-2009) to 45% (2010-2019)? This is of little interest.
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James Sumberg ( James SumbergExternal link ), an expert on the employment of African rural youth at the UK Institute of Development Studies / University of Sussex, believes that in order to determine whether Whether such work is for children or adolescents, it is not enough to consider only what specific tasks they have to perform. The social context must also be taken into account.
“It’s one thing if a child works on draconian piecework conditions, when he needs to process a thousand cocoa fruits before noon, otherwise he simply won’t be fed lunch. It’s a completely different story if he processes a small amount of fruit because he just wants to feel like part of the family and contribute to their well-being.”
What exactly is “child labour”?
Does this mean that ILO guidelines do not take into account the realities of life? The ILO defines child labor quite broadly as work that is primarily “psychologically, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children or interferes with their learning and development”. “House cleaning is not yet child labor,” says Benjamin Smith ( Benjamin SmithExternal link ), an ILO child labor expert.
According to him, his organization is primarily concerned with situations where children are too young for the work they do, or if they are forced to engage in activities that directly threaten their health or safety, including slavery, forced recruitment into soldiers, sexual exploitation and involvement in organized criminal activities such as drug trafficking.
- Graffiti calling for an end to child labor on the wall of a cocoa warehouse in Côte d'Ivoire. Jbdodane / Alamy Stock Photo
- A seven-year-old boy collects recyclables from a landfill in Marelan in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Keystone / Dedi Sinuhaji
- A nine-year-old girl works in a brick factory on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. AP
- Many children in Ivory Coast work in the cotton fields. Keystone/Novarc Images/Nicolas Marino
- Children collect tea leaves in Kenya. Ton Koene, Vw Pics/science Photo Library
- Children search for gold near the Oji River in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Keystone / Aaron Ufumeli
- A 13-year-old boy cuts grass to feed his family's cows in the Rulindo region of northern Rwanda. Afp
- A 14-year-old teenager in Amman repairs a kerosene heater in the workshop where he works regularly, Jordan. Afp
Neil Howard ( External link ), an expert in the field of legal and ethical foundations of child labor from the University of Bath (University of Bath, UK), considers the currently accepted concept of "child labor" to be rather illogical and contradictory, which is why the methods by which states try to protect children from it sometimes really have nothing to do with the realities of life.
“The concept of child labor was developed by politicians with the participation of the ILO (mainly in the West) with the best of intentions. It was an attempt to protect children in the first place, but at the same time no one consulted with us, the specialists, ”he says. In short, we wanted the best...
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According to him, politicians generally prohibit children from doing certain types of work, which, in his opinion, often only significantly worsens the situation for both the children themselves and their families. Neil Howard is convinced that in resolving this issue, it is necessary to carefully weigh all the costs and benefits in relation to each individual region of the world. “Of course, performing monotonous labor in the collection of cocoa fruits can have a negative impact on a growing organism.
But given the conditions in which many children live in poor rural families in West Africa, such work is not only an economic necessity but a vital skill for their survival, considering that as adults they are likely to be engaged in precisely by breeding cocoa, ”he says.
According to Benjamin Smith, individual countries must independently and "creatively" adapt ILO guidelines and standards to their national circumstances. However, as James Samberg argues, many national child labor laws are sometimes written almost verbatim from ILO recommendations, so there can be no question of any flexibility here.
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It is clear that between the provisions of the national legislation of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, created on the basis of the recommendations of the ILO, and the real fate of many children in these countries, there is a "huge gap". In addition, many of the factors that helped eradicate child labor in the industrialized world (mechanization of industry and agriculture or the fact that, as a rule, the income of one breadwinner in the family, engaged in even low-skilled labor, is always enough to feed the whole family) to many regions The "third world" has not yet reached in principle.
Chocolate companies hard line
Another major player in this field, besides the ILO and national governments, is the chocolate companies themselves.
“It is very important how the product is perceived by the public. The values associated with the brand are incredibly important, so the people who run such companies have to spend a lot of time guarding and protecting them,” says James Samberg. The strategies of certain companies in the field of child labor could be an important factor in brand positioning in the market, but here are the social networks that play a leading role in this case, and how the mass user determines his moral and ethical priorities in shaping his consumer everyday tactics seem to be developing in a completely different direction, which is clearly seen in the example of the Läderach incident.
Fortunately, there are also media, NGOs and consumer groups in social networks for whom the topic of child labor, or rather the issue of the barbaric exploitation of this labor, is not an empty phrase. Many companies producing finished chocolate products, accordingly, form their standards and rules in a rather rigid format.
At least that's how it looks on the outside. For example, the Swiss chocolate company Lindt & Sprüngli told SWI swissinfo.ch via email that its suppliers are “obligated to comply with strict restrictions on the use of child labor in accordance with ILO definitions and in accordance with relevant UN Conventions and / or with their national legislation, depending on which one introduces more stringent conditions, because we have the most stringent regulations of all possible.
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Barry Callebaut, a major Swiss chocolate manufacturer, has also taken the toughest path to addressing child labor by officially setting the minimum age for employment under ILO Convention 138 at 15, and 14 for underdeveloped countries. economy and education system. Neil Howard says that this approach is largely due to the fact that chocolate is consumed by "wealthy Europeans who are disgusted to think that children were involved in the process of making it.
" And just because of this, according to him, cocoa production is sometimes given such disproportionate attention.
Indeed, the latest ILO study shows that many more children are employed in the cultivation of corn, rice or cassava than in the production of export products such as cocoa. That is, African countries can freely ruin the health of their children, the main thing is that their products remain in the country and do not spoil the Europeans' morning coffee. International control in these "domestic sectors" is extremely rare, and here minors often perform very dangerous work. According to Benjamin Smith, the slave exploitation of minors in domestic subsistence farming is a huge problem in Africa, but it generally does not receive the same attention as the labor of children involved in global supply chains.
No easy answers
The chocolate industry agrees that child labor is a complex problem associated with rural poverty in developing countries, and that simply banning child labor will do nothing but make things worse.
According to Lindt & Sprüngli in 2019, farmers in Ghana as a whole are now barely making ends meet, earning only about $2,500 a year, with 70% of that coming from growing cocoa. The study also showed that Lindt & Sprüngli's corporate action to reduce child labor led to supply cuts precisely because fewer underage children were employed on private farms.
“There are no easy solutions, we need a coordinated effort from all stakeholders, we need a wide variety of measures,” says Nick Weatherill, Executive Director of the International Cocoa Initiative. Resolving this problem is hampered by unequal conditions for access to land resources, lack of secure livelihoods, limited access to quality education, poverty in general and an insufficient number of adult workers, many of whom prefer to emigrate in search of a better life in Europe.
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Benjamin Smith, an ILO expert on child labor, cites a scheme implemented by Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire as an example of a possible solution to this problem, under which companies will pay an additional $400 per tonne of cocoa.
Then these funds will be distributed among farmers. “Companies that would agree to participate in this scheme would be able to really back up their words with deeds, investing in the implementation of measures that can really end the exploitation and use of slave child labor,” says Benjamin Smith.
James Samberg of the British Institute for Third World Development Research is more direct. “Why not just start paying manufacturers and everyone in the supply chain fair wages? In my opinion, this is the most effective strategy, but it can also, of course, be the most painful for the cocoa bean industry.”
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According to JTI 9 standards0003
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Ashik's Story
Instructions
- Ask participants what they know about child labour.
- Explain that this exercise is based on the story of Ashik, a child laborer from Pakistan who works in a brick factory.
The task is to try to find possible ways to change Ashik's position. - As a warm-up, offer a "collective composition". Using their imagination, the participants must come up with a fictional story about a day in the boy's life. Have each participant take turns adding a sentence to the story.
- Divide the participants into groups of five maximum. Distribute the text "Facts from the life of Ashik", give 10 minutes to read and exchange opinions.
- Distribute the "Ideas..." sheet to the groups. Explain the task: to brainstorm possible solutions to the problems of Ashik and other working children. Then they should fill in the table with suggestions of possible ways to solve the problems: “in a day”, “in a month” and “by 2030”. Give 30 minutes to complete the task and select a speaker from each group.
- In a plenary session, ask the participants to take turns expressing their thoughts on the content of each column. Write down the main ideas on a large piece of paper.
Feel free to discuss these ideas if you like, but be mindful of the timing! - When the table is filled, proceed to the general analysis and summing up.
Analysis and evaluation
The depth of the discussion depends on the general knowledge of the participants, but try to find out both their views on child labor and ideas about possible solutions to the problem.
- What did participants know about child labor before the session? How did they know? From what sources?
- Is there child labor in their country, city? What kind of work do children do and why?
- Should children be allowed to work if they want to?
- “Child labor brings much-needed income to families and communities. Ban it and the children will be the first to suffer.” What is your take on this statement?
- How do we, as consumers, benefit from child labor?
- Was it difficult to think through possible measures to address the problem of child labour? Which of the three columns (in a day, in a month, and by 2030) was the hardest to complete? Why?
- Many declarations and conferences have been devoted to the problem of child labor, both in individual countries and at the international level.
Why is this problem still so big? - How does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child protect children from exploitation?
- Who should be responsible for its decision? (Use a different colored marker to write the sentences on the board.)
- What can ordinary people like us do to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education? How and when?
Tips for facilitators
If participants do not know much about the problem, introduce them to the facts about child labor and its consequences at the beginning of the activity. The task can be fun if you take the statistics from the graph in the "Additional Information" section and make a little quiz based on them.
Remind that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is scheduled for 2030. If necessary, explain that the SDGs replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015.
The 17 SDGs show that human development issues are complex and interrelated.
Three goals that relate to Ashik's situation:
- Goal 1. The worldwide eradication of poverty in all its forms.
- Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
- Goal 8: Promote strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
For more information on the SDGs, see the “How much do we need” task and www.undp.org
Coming up with ideas for filling in the first two columns (“in a day”, “in a month”) may not be so much simple, and it can cause feelings of powerlessness and despair. To encourage them, read the following quote:
“The task is great, but not so great as to be onerous or unsolvable. Even developed countries face the problem of child labor. This shows that its causes are not due to a lack of resources, but to a lack of determination.
Let's put an end to this." From the decision of the Indian Supreme Court in the case of M.S. Mehta v. State of Tamilnadu and Others, India, 1986
Usually, participants understand that in order to find an effective and long-term solution to a problem, it is first necessary to determine its causes, from which the solution often follows by itself. This is worth pointing out if it is difficult for some group to determine the path to a solution, and it gets bogged down in a multitude of options.
Stimulate ideas by suggesting the following possible solutions:
- Fight poverty so children don't have to work.
- Raise adults' salaries so children don't have to work.
- Improve education to be more attractive and closer to the needs of children.
- Develop international standards for the employment of children
- Prohibit products made with child labor
- Develop internationally minimum labor standards as a condition for World Trade Organization (WTO) membership.
To make the session more relevant and interesting, use current local or international reports on child labor.
Variants
If you would like to provide participants with information about child labor beforehand, you can use a test, for example, from www.unicef.org or www.thinkquest.org.
Instead of starting with “composing a story” (instruction point 3), divide the participants into small groups of maximum 5 people. Give each group five A3 sheets of paper, ask them to draw five events from Ashik's typical day and present the drawings as a comic strip. When the groups have finished, ask them to present their stories.
Presenters who are good at drawing can draw Ashik's story in the form of a comic strip, presenting each scene of his life in a new frame. Keep the comic simple, include only the most basic information. Make copies of the comic (one for each group) and cut out the frames. Give each group one set of pictures and ask them to make up a story about Ashika, adding short text or character lines.
When the groups have finished, ask them to present their stories.
Suggestions for follow-up
IInspire group members to become active in human rights campaigns by sharing how a 12-year-old Canadian boy and his friends founded Children Can Free Children by reading a newspaper article about the murder of a 12-year-old Pakistani working for factory and spoke out against child labour. mnatsop-natsperu.blogspot.com/
You can continue the discussion of the problems of unequal opportunities for children in your society with the exercise “Take a step forward”.
If you want to learn more about the SDGs and see how much it would cost to improve Ashik's life compared to military spending around the world, see the exercise How much do we need?
Draw on the experience of the group members. Ask them to think about where the line is between employers who exploit children like Ashik and employers who pay absurdly low wages to young people who work evenings or Sundays to earn pocket money and stay in school or university? What about parents who use their children to do chores around the house or in the family business? What is the personal experience of the participants? If participants would like to explore these ideas in more detail, please refer to the “My childhood” activity in the “All Different – All Equal” learning package.
Ideas for action
You can participate in some campaigns, such as http://www.cleanclothes.org, and you can also start choosing the clothes and other things you buy according to the country of origin.
According to 2013 ILO estimates, the total number of child workers has fallen by one-third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (up from 171 million in 2000).
More information
Child labor refers to the employment of children on a permanent and long-term basis. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and illegal in many countries. Child labor is distinct from the occasional or part-time employment of children or young people who earn their own pocket money or as a supplement to a stipend. However, this does not mean that pocket money earners are never exploited.
Chapter 5, additional information section on Children and Labor, provides more information on child labor, goods produced by children, international child labor law, and the impact of child labor on a child.
One in six children in developing countries is in child labour. This table shows the percentage of children in the 5-17 age group, categorized as working, child labour, and hazardous work, by region, 2012
| Region(s) | Working children | Child labor | Hazardous work |
|---|---|---|---|
| ('000) % | ('000) % | ('000) % | |
| Asia-Pacific | 129.358 15.5 | 77.723 9.3 | 33.860 4.1 |
| Latin America and Caribbean | 17.843 12.5 | 12.505 8.8 | 9.638 6.8 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 83.570 30.3 | 59.031 21.4 | 28.767 10.4 |
| Middle East and North Africa | 13. 307 12.1 | 9.244 8.4 | 5.224 4.7 |
| World total 2012 | 264.427 16.7 | 167.956 10.6 | 85.344 5.4 |
Tables 1 and 2 are from Making Progress Against Child Labor. Global Assessments and Trends”. 2000-2012 ILO
Note: (a) Regional total is less than global total as other regions are included in the total and not analyzed here.
The scope of the child labor problem is such that there is a wealth of information available on the topic. The websites of the International Labor Organization (http://www.ilo.org), UNICEF (http://www.unicef.org), and Save the Children (http://www.oneworld.org) are helpful.
Handout
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Handout 1: Facts about Ashik
Personal Information
First Name: Ashik Hashmir
Age: 11 years old
Nationality: Pakistan0147 Family: Parents, grandparents, sister, 3 brothers
Family income: about 70 euros per month
Information about work activities half-hour break, 6 days a week
Productivity: about 600 bricks per day
Salary: 1.
