Child Workers

OUTLINE

1.Introduction
2. Who are the child workers ?
3.Risk Conditions at work
4.Causes and related factors
4.1.Direct causes
4.2.Indirect causes
5.Statistics
6.Regulatory laws
7.Conclusion

“CHILD WORKERS IN ECUDOR “
Young children working on streets and factories are common in many cities around the world, but inEcuador cities like Quito and Guayaquil , it is shocking. Researches of international organizations have found a high percent of child workers in our country .
Every day these kids expose their lives in the streets to dangers like alcoholism ,drug addiction ,gangs as well as physical damages.
Many international ONGs had been created in order to rescue these children of laborexploitation. In Ecuador the government has created new laws .But ,Is this enough to eradicate this social problem ? . Which have been its successes and failures?.
Working children are those under the age of 18 who work full or part-time. In Ecuador they generally work as ambulatory vendors (selling vegetables, fruits, or candy), shoe shines, entertainers on busses , in markets and laborers. Theydo any low-skilled job that they can in order to help their families survive.
In Ecuador, particularly indigenous and Afro-descendant kids , are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including in agriculture and street work.
Children who work in agriculture use dangerous machinery, tools and pesticides; carry heavy loads; and work long hours. Many of them who work as domestic servantsoften work long hours, in isolation and are vulnerable to physical abuse, sexual harassment and forced labor. Children also work in the brick industry and informal small-scale mining where are exposed to toxic elements, at risk of physical injuries .
In urban areas, children work on the streets, shining shoes, collecting and recycling garbage and selling newspapers , candies and many of them areforced to begging. They may be exposed to multiple dangers, including toxic substance , criminal elements and risk of accidents.
Other kids who work in landfills are exposed to toxic substances and are at risk of physical injuries and respiratory, skin and stomach diseases
Children are also trafficked from rural areas to urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation and other forcedlabor. They are taken to Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Chile and other countries with the purpose of labor exploitation.
Many Ecuadorian children are involved in coca cultivation along the border with Colombia, and they are being recruited by Colombian non-state armed groups.
It is clear that the main cause is the poverty from their homes and the need to find alternatives toincrease family income . Another factor is the culture where the work is perceived as positive for their educational and socialization, especially in communities in rural areas.
The statistical information also shows the existence of a high demand for child labor in many sectors of the economy, a phenomenon explained by the "advantages" of reducing labor costs,and social security.
Deficiencies innational education system, in terms of the quality of education and the opportunities to enter and stay in school ,is another factor contributing to the growth of this social problem .
Another factor associated to child labor is the migration , resulted in the breakdown of many families as a result, the children have had to assume many adult roles early , becoming the supplies of their homesAccording to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) 400.000 children and adolescents (aged 5 to 17 years) are at child labor in Ecuador. Of those children 65.28% attend school 34.72% doesn’t .
The region with the largest population of child workers is :Andean region (65%) followed by the coast(38.5%)
In Ecuador minors between 15 and 17 years of age have the opportunity...