Years ago, we may have seen children in the profession of begging, but now they are forced to do anything, even tasks that pose great danger to them. If we were to write a quick article, words would not be enough to describe this widespread pain in the world, in which children have no say in its existence. This issue is not unique to our country. From the dusty streets of Afghanistan to the bustling streets of New York, this terrible phenomenon exists and is known as “child labor”; one of the most common social problems that has almost identical and similar consequences.

June 12, which coincides with June 22, is World Day Against Child Labor. In a brief explanation of the background of this day, it can be acknowledged that the designation of June 12 as the day to combat child labor was a reaction from the International Labor Organization (ILO) to eradicate it, which was first introduced in 2002. Since then, this day has focused on raising awareness about the prevalence of child labor around the world and the necessary actions and efforts to eliminate it. The International Labor Organization sets a specific slogan for this day every year. For example, the slogan for this day in 2020 was “Protecting Children from Child Labor during the COVID-19 Crisis,” and in 2021 and 2022 it was “Eliminating Child Labor” and “Increasing Investment in Systems and Social Protection Programs to Create Social Support and Protection for Children,” respectively.

The International Labour Organization is one of the most important organizations formed in relation to labor rights. This organization and its branches were established in 1919 AD, after the end of World War I, with the belief that lasting peace is only possible if based on social justice. The International Labour Organization also strives to improve unfair working conditions – including protecting children and youth from economic exploitation – and helps to secure permanent peace for the world.

The goal of this day is to raise awareness and take immediate action against the illegal practice of child labor that still exists. This day is held to increase knowledge about the negative mental and physical concerns that children who are forced into child labor face around the world. It is also an opportunity for individuals to create effective tools to combat the causes that contribute to child labor.

The problem of child labor is a global alarming phenomenon. There is hardly any major city or country in the world that does not have street children. This issue is a problem in both developed and developing countries. However, nowadays it is more prevalent in poor countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Poverty and financial problems are the result of factors such as injustice, illness and death of parents, imprisonment of parents, child abuse, and forgiveness or leaving the family. These are common factors for children living on the streets. In fact, children are forced to work for their survival or low-income families send their children to the streets to earn a living.

In root-finding and child abuse identification, we must also pay attention to the issue of parental neglect, which is one of the problems of our educational system. Instead of nurturing the mind and focusing on education and teaching proper behavior towards children, our educational system engineers minds and promotes desired thoughts, and encourages individuals to have children without any consideration, which will inevitably contribute to the increase in child labor.

On the other hand, we must see what harms and abuses threaten child laborers. These include being exposed to sexual assault and other forms of violence, contracting various viruses and addictions, depression, self-harm, suicide, dropping out of school, malnutrition, and being deprived of a sweet childhood. According to reports, 15.4% of child laborers are beaten or insulted by their employers and 21% are insulted by the public. Additionally, 1.6% have experienced sexual abuse, 20.7% have experienced hunger, and 13.8% have experienced a car accident. (1)

However, there are conflicting statistics in this field and access to accurate statistics is not possible. It should be noted that gathering statistics is considered essential for progress and future policymaking, using conventional and necessary methods. Although this issue is widely accepted in the world today, unfortunately in our country, not much attention is paid to accurate statistics regarding social problems and fabricated and desired statistics are given more attention. This issue creates blind spots that never open. For example, it is estimated that 1 to 4 million street children exist in Russia and every year 50,000 children run away from their homes in this country. It has also been reported that in Moscow, 5,000 children and adolescents are kicked out of their homes and end up on the streets. In the United States, the central government has reported that about 500,000 children under the age of 18 have run away from home or have been kicked out by their parents. (2) In Iran, different individuals have estimated the

In the laws related to children’s rights, exploitation and abuse of children is strictly prohibited. These laws include the “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, “Convention 138: Minimum Age for Employment of Children” and “Convention 182: Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor”. Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “member countries recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development”. Article 3 of Convention 182 defines “worst forms of child labor” as including: 1. All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, forced labor, compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict or for other purposes; 2. The use

The Islamic Republic signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child on October 5th, 1991 and in 1994, the contents of this convention were approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Additionally, the Islamic Republic joined the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 2001.

According to Article 79 of the Iranian Labor Law, “Employment of individuals under the age of 15 (both boys and girls) is prohibited. Employers who hire individuals under the age of 15 will be subject to punishment. Furthermore, children should not be employed in work that may be harmful to them.”

According to article 188 of the Labor Law, workers in family workshops whose work is exclusively carried out by the employer, spouse, and first-degree relatives are not subject to the regulations of the Labor Law.

On the other hand, Article 80 of the Labor Law refers to workers between the ages of 15 to 18 as “adolescent workers” and emphasizes that such workers must undergo medical examinations by the Social Security Organization upon employment. Article 82 of the Labor Law states that the daily working hours for adolescent workers should be half an hour less than the regular working hours for other workers, and the implementation of this provision is subject to agreement between the worker and the employer. Article 83 also emphasizes that “referring to any type of extra work, working at night, performing hard, harmful, and dangerous tasks, and carrying excessive loads by hand or using mechanical tools is prohibited for adolescent workers.” Finally, Article 84 of the Labor Law reminds that “for occupations and jobs that are harmful to the health or morality of apprentices and adolescents due to their nature or working conditions, the minimum working age will be 18 [not 15]. This matter is determined by the Ministry of Labor

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Supporting children’s rights, especially those who are disadvantaged and exposed to harm from crises, social inequalities, and natural disasters, is a human and social responsibility that falls on individuals, organizations, and institutions. Without adequate attention to children’s rights and investment and planning in education, health, and improving their quality of life, there is no hope for a better world for them.

There is no doubt that the ultimate elimination of child labor requires action and the establishment of fundamental mechanisms, in a way that fundamentally removes the shadow of compulsion from the lives of children. However, this in its most optimistic state requires a lot of work, effort, and time, while children today need support and access to their full human-social rights, and we cannot wait until the necessary infrastructure is established for them.

Global experiences indicate that education is the most effective tool in the fight against child labor. Among the humanitarian efforts in the field of child labor, the efforts of civil society organizations towards educating these children are noteworthy.

In hope of a better world, a world in which no child is forced to leave their childhood behind and does not understand the meaning of wishing.

Notes:

1- What is the official and unofficial statistics of child labor in Iran? / What kind of abuses do child laborers face? Hamshahri Online, 22 Khordad 1401.

2- Policy-making for preventing social harms/street children in Iran and the world, ISNA, 2 December 2008.

3- Trade News, conflicting statistics on child labor in Iran, 12th of Aban month 1401.