E/CN.4/Sub.2/SR.835 Page 6
21. r. BOUDHIBA congratulated the representative of the International Labour Organisation on his excellent statement, wich constituted a useful basis for discussion. The documents prepared by the Secretariat (E/CN.4/Sub.2/433) and the Anti-Slavery Society also constituted a positive contribution to the International. Year of the Child and could be regarded as further efforts by the international
the community to put an end to one of the most revolting forms of discrimination: exploitation of unfortunate children. As had already been pointed out, human rights constituted an indivisible whole of which the rights of the child formed an integral part. However, children required special protection because they were frail and exposed to special risks during their period of preparation for adult life. Unfortunately, in that field as in others, there was a geographical and economic. gulf between the rich and poor countries, and the children of the developing countries were those who suffered most from the scandal of exploitation.
•
The gap
22. There was no point in denouncing such abuses, however, unless an in-depth analysis of the conditions which caused them was carried out. In the first place, the exact meaning of the term "exploitation" should be defined, because the problem under consideration was not child labour, but the exploitation of children. between the developing countries and industrial societies vas reflected not only in the discrepancy in living standards, but also in the difference in psychological and social
Whereas in attitudes a difference which was heightened by economic conditions. industrial societies work and employment corresponded to production remunerated in accordance with the existing market or legislation, in subsistence societies of the traditional type, the family was the normal production unit and the child was called upon to work as soon as he was able to. Remuneration had no meaning, since his work was part of the family heritage. In such societies, age classes were equivalent to social classes, and thus the entire economic system was founded on different bases. Unfortunately, certain countries were at an intermediary stage between the market economy and the traditional system: they were aware of the law of profit but at the same time retained the possibility of using the family unit as a production unit, with the result that children were in danger of being exploited.
2
23. The western countries had already passed that stage; a century ago they had managed, after a long struggle, to regulate working conditions for children and to
The situation was very put an end to or limit the exploitation of child labour. different in the developing countries, where the legislation did not correspond to the actual situation. That was why it was very difficult for those countries to give practical effect to the provisions of the international conventions concerning child labour. The small number of countries which had signed the comprehensive ILO Minimum Age Convention was eloquent in that respect and in many cases countries, while accepting the ILO standards, found it difficult to implement them.
24. In view of those considerations, he felt that before any further international instruments were drawn up, the reasons which made their implementation impossible should be examined and a legal study of the international and national conventions
}