TNAG-0783-FCO40-987-Employment-of-children-In-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 18

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CHILDREN AT WORK

There are three main types of children at work. First

children who work with, or at least under the immediate

supervision of, their families: in modern agriculture, domestic

jobs with one of their parents outside their own homes, in

family businesses, or in cottage industries. This last

category often involves semi-industrial artisan work, for example, making carpets, leather goods and also street trade (selling, for example, chewing gum, family-grown foods, newspapers). Then there are children who work without any possibility of supervision from their families in so-called apprenticeships (often full time, 10-12 hours, where the children learn only incidentally), in industrial work (illegal

in most countries, but very largely unsupervised by the states involved), or are hired out (or sold) by their families for

agricultural or domestic work. There are also children who

have been thrown out, or lost, or run away from their families

and will do any work to keep alive. This category probably

includes several hundred thousand children in South America,

Asia and the Middle East, who are extremely vulnerable.

The types of work in which children are found are much

the same throughout the world. They are:-

(a) Industry

However,

This covers a broad range of activities. Employment of

children in heavy industry, especially in dangerous or

excessive work, is often prohibited by national legislation.

It is not known how effective such prohibitions are.

children commonly work in the construction industry in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and south Europe. Boys below 12 years are often employed on building sites as casual, unregistered labourers to clear debris, carry equipment and do

odd jobs. Much of this work is heavy and dangerous.

Employment of children in light industry, especially in

small marginal factories, is also common in Asia, Latin America,

the Middle East and south Europe. Child labour is especially

common in textiles, clothing manufacture, food processing,

canning and confectionery. These jobs often come under the heading of "family undertakings" and can thus be exempted