Shame of child slavery

An estimated 10.5 million children worldwide — most of them under age — are working as domestic workers in people’s homes, in hazardous and sometimes slavery-like conditions, says the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Six and a half million of these child labourers are aged between five and 14 years-old and more than 71% are girls.

According to the latest ILO report, Ending child labour in domestic work, they work in the homes of a third party or employer, carrying out tasks such as cleaning, ironing, cooking, gardening, collecting water, looking after other children and caring for the elderly.

Vulnerable to physical, psychological and sexual violence and abusive working conditions, they are often isolated from their families, hidden from the public eye and become highly dependent on their employers. Many might end up being commercially sexually exploited.

“The situation of many child domestic workers not only constitutes a serious violation of child rights, but remains an obstacle to the achievement of many national and international development objectives,” said Constance Thomas, director of the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).

www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_215170/lang--en/index.htm