11
available to sons of the family, are not allowed to marry, and the children they conceive become "criadas" in turn.
These children can be lent or given away and have no rights
whatsoever. They work on farms, in restaurants and bars, and especially as domestic servants.
1
In Mexico, the Director of Juridical Affairs of the
National Autonomous University of Mexico reported in 1973
that nearly a half million children between 8 and 14 years
work, mainly in "sub-human" conditions, with low pay. There are also reports of children aged 5 and 6 working in
2 brickworks."
Many reports from other parts of Central and South America refer to large numbers of children working on plantations,
and in agriculture generally. In 1978 ILO estimated on the basis of government statistics that in Brazil 2.9 million children under 15 were at work; in Haiti 17 percent of all
3 children under 15 work.
INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATION
The International community has made several efforts
to control child labour.
In 1959 the General Assembly of the United Nations pub-
lished the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which had been unanimously adopted by 78 countries, and asked parents, voluntary organisations, local authorities and governments to recognise and protect these rights. It also recommended that governments, the specialised agencies and non-governmental organisations publicise the text as widely as possible.
The declaration acknowledges that while children's rights
are not really different from those of adults, children need
1.
2.
3.
Jürgen Riester, Indians of Eastern Bolivia: Aspects of their Present Situation. Copenhagen: IGIA, 1975,p.23.
Christian Science Monitor, 13 September 1973; Guardian, London 10 August 1970.
ILO Yearbook 1976.