ASIA YOUTH WANT THE RIGHT TO HONEST

[lurie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

ASIA YOUTH WANT THE RIGHT TO HONEST WORK
4.9.97/THE NATION
MALEE TRAISAWASDICHAI

CHILDREN from Northeast and Southeast Asian countries yesterday
expressed a desire to have the right to work, but called on
international efforts to stop the most unacceptable forms of
child labour which they said threaten the physical, social and
mental development of children.

Twelve children called for the elimination of child prostitution
and military service at a Bangkok seminar on child labour and
tabled- a list of the most intolerable forms of child labour,
which included operating heavy machinery, direct contact with
chemicals, carrying heavy loads and working long hours.

"When we are employed in these jobs, we have no time for study
and education, no time to play and rest and we are exposed to
unsafe working conditions and we are not protected" a child
worker from the Philippines told attendees.

The three day meeting, which commenced yesterday, precedes an
international conference on child labour to be held in Oslo,
Norway next month. More than 90 participants from 12 countries
representing employers, employee groups, children and child
labourers will use the meeting to map out a regional plan to ban
the "most intolerable forms of child labour".

The meeting is part of the process of preparing a new
International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention.

The 12 children - from Mongolia, Thailand, the Philippines,
Cambodia and Indonesia - said in a statement read out to the
meeting that "child work" is different from "child labour".

"Child work does not have negative effects on the children's
development because it is either voluntary work, not a Prof
it-oriented activity, or is work within the household," the
statement said. "On the other hand, child labour is
profit-oriented. The child needs to work for the whole day
everyday, it is continuous work geared toward the production
industry and is mentally and physically exhausting."

Vitit Muntarbhorn, of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Law,
called for the introduction of criminal legislation to protect
those under the age of 18 from hazardous and exploitative work,
including child trafficking and forced labour. "We need criminal
sanctions to punish those who exploit child labour. They harm
children and at times they kill children."

Vitit also urged consumers around the world to play their part in
stopping the abusive form of child labour.

"Consumers can help by not buying carpets made by child labour
for instance. But they could buy carpets that are labelled as
being '100-per cent child labour free'," he said.

The rights of children in the workforce are currently outlined by
the ILO's convention number 138, which sets the minimum age for
general child labour at 15 years, 13 years for light work and 18
years for dangerous work. For ILO members from developing
countries, the convention allows 14 and 12 year-olds for general
and light work respectively.

However, the convention has not been well received. It was
ratified by only 50 Western countries while in Asia only four
countries ratified it, including Iraq and Nepal, said Guy Thijs,
an ILO sub-regional coordinator.

At least 120 million children between the ages of five and 14
across the globe are in full time work, while up to 130 million
have part time jobs, ILO figures presented to the meeting showed.

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