A Chance Instead of a Hoe

In Jakarta, Indonesian children work 12 to 15 hours a day as household maids. In India, some youngsters in the carpet industry put in up to 20 hours daily. And according to a survey of young Mexican Americans laboring on farms in New York state, almost half had picked fields still wet with pesticides.

These are but some of the disturbing revelations in the 1997 report of the United Nations Children’s Fund. “Child labor is a controversial and emotional issue,” the foreword declares. “It is also a complex and challenging one that defies simple solutions.”

That’s true, but however complex the issue may be, abusive child labor is a shameful practice that should be regulated, curtailed and eventually banned. Cultures differ, laws are uneven and what seems abhorrent to one country is acceptable in another. Nevertheless, the goal of ending workplace abuse of children should be pursued by all countries. Worldwide, 73 million children work regularly, according to an International Labor Organization survey.

Perhaps the simplest way to rectify this failure of humanity would be allegiance of all countries to the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by UNICEF in 1990. So far only five countries--Cook Islands, Oman, Somalia, Switzerland and the United States--have failed to sign. (The U.S. delay is colored by concerns that multilateral treaties may conflict with American laws.) These five countries ought to sign and support the goal.

Poverty is what forces children into the workplace. Education is a way out. Give them a chance instead of a hoe or a needle and thread.