t least 132 million children, ranging from 5 to 14 years of age, “have been forced to work the land, and often in conditions toxic to their health”; an “unacceptable” scenario, which deprives them of education and worsens the cycle of poverty said José Maria Sumpsi, FAO deputy director general at a conference in Rome for World Day Against Child Labor.
“Child labor, for poor families, is an important short term economic aid. But the long-term cost is far more relevant. If children are not going to school, they shall be poor as adults” said Sumpsi. FAO noted that out of 218 million child workers worldwide, 70% are employed in agriculture “and they help to produce food and the beverages that we ourselves consume, as well as fibers and raw materials that we use”.
Sumpsi said that in this context “every year some 22,000 children die” ifrom accidents or disease connected to agricultural work: this sector is considered to be one of the riskiest because of the exposure to toxic substances such as pesticides or farm machinery. Girls are hit hardest, because they are responsible for domestic tasks as well as working in the fields.
Child labor, for poor families, is an important short term economic aid. But the long-term cost is far more relevant. If children are not going to school, they shall be poor as adults
FAO has estimated that in Africa alone, minors working in agriculture are among 56 and 72 million. To combat the problem more effectively, the ILO, has created along with FAO, FIDA, Ifpri/Cgiar, FIPA and UITA, a world alliance to improve the living standards in rural areas, creating sources for alternative resources. “Through a concerted effort, we can achieve the target of ending the worse forms of child labor by 2016”, said the ILO director, Juan Somavia.
“The ILO can act at the employee and union level, but FAO can play a crucial role with Agriculture ministries. In the past few years, child labor has shown a significant drop in the world, this however has not concerned agriculture” said Paola Termine of the FAO Sustainable Agriculture Program.
(From MISNA)