»Weltweit arbeiten 10,5 Millionen Kinder unter unwürdigen Bedingungen als Hausangestellte«

Ending child labour in domestic work and protecting young workers from abusive working conditions

Executive Summary:

Millions of children around the world, mainly girls, are in paid or unpaid domestic work in households other than their own. Of these children around two thirds are estimated to be in unacceptable situations, either because they are below the legal minimum working age, or are working under hazardous conditions or in circumstances that are tantamount to slavery.

These children carry out tasks such as cleaning, ironing, cooking, gardening, collecting water, looking after other children and caring for the elderly. Many of them have no or insufficient access to education. When undertaken in their own homes, in reasonable conditions, and supervised by those closest to them, such chores can be an integral part of family life and of growing up. While there are concerns over certain situations where these workloads, in their own home, interfere with the children’s education or are excessive, such situations are not the subject of this report. What is of concern here is the seclusion, dependency and lack of rights that make children working in the homes of others highly vulnerable to child labour.

The ILO’s fundamental child labour Conventions, namely Convention No. 138 concerning the minimum age for admission to employment and Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour, provide the framework for ending child labour in domestic work. Children should not be working at an age below the general minimum age for employment, or in worst forms of child labour situations, such as in hazardous work or slavery. At the same time, where young workers have reached the minimum age for work and are legally permitted to work, special attention should be paid to ensure that their working conditions and environment are age-suitable, take account of their specific needs, and prevent their situation from becoming hazardous.

In 2011, in a landmark development, the ILO’s International Labour Conference adopted Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201 concerning decent work for domestic workers. The adoption of these instruments is a historic step towards ensuring that all domestic workers enjoy the same fair terms of employment and decent working conditions as other workers and are equally entitled to respect of their rights and dignity. These new standards contain specific provisions requiring ratifying States to protect children from child labour in domestic work, while ensuring that young workers who can legally work are provided with decent work conditions and do so without compromising their education.

This report is divided into seven chapters and final recommendations.

Chapter 1 sets the scene for a better understanding of child domestic work. It outlines why child domestic work is a global concern, presents the basic concepts in this area and the response required by the two fundamental conventions on child labour as well as the detail provided by the recently adopted instruments on decent work for domestic workers.

Chapter 2 looks into child domestic work as a social development priority, as a human rights concern and as a gender equality challenge.

Chapter 3 of the report provides detailed information on current data regarding the estimated number of child domestic workers worldwide. Key findings are presented according to sex and age group. Importantly, the findings shed light on the numbers of those involved in unacceptable situations.

Chapter 4 considers the main features of child domestic work. It explores the ambiguity of the working relationship, the discrimination and isolation associated with the practice, the hazards and risks of this type of work, as well as the vulnerability to violence and to abuse faced by domestic workers of all ages. The chapter also emphasizes the relationship between child domestic work and children’s right to education, as well as the impact of their movement for work – which not only defines the recruitment process of many children, but is central to how they are subsequently controlled.

Policy responses to child labour are explored in Chapter 5. The chapter underlines the need to develop improved data collection and statistical tools to better capture child labour and youth employment in domestic work. Strategic action against child labour in domestic work faces complex challenges and the chapter focuses on the importance of responses that cut across traditional policy boundaries to tackle this complexity.

Child domestic work is not simply of concern to the children, their families and communities, nor can they solve the problems unless the communities in which they work, and their national development plans and policies, take children’s needs explicitly into account. The chapter stresses the need for legislative and regulatory action and for policy responses on several fronts, including on decent work, social protection, labour markets, education, strategic communication and advocacy, as well as on institutional capacity building.

Chapter 6 explores, underlines and illustrates, with examples of practical action, the key role of employers’ and workers’ organizations - in particular domestic workers’ own organizations – in the fight against child labour in domestic work and in supporting decent work for domestic workers of all ages, including for young domestic workers of legal working age.

The report also examines, in Chapter 7, the critical role played by civil society organizations in the fight against child labour in domestic work and in the protection of young workers of legal working age. Among other issues, it explores varied approaches and experiences of reaching out to child domestic workers, to prevent their recruitment into child labour situations and ensure the removal and reintegration of those already in such situations. Also examined are responses to education and training needs, how to get employers on board and how to promote children’s agency and awareness of their rights so that child domestic workers are empowered to help themselves.

·       The report concludes by making a call for specific action including:

·       Developing statistical visibility and further enhancing knowledge on child domestic work;

·       Increasing awareness and advocacy to challenge assumptions that child domestic workers are “like one of the family”;

·       Promoting the ratification and implementation of child labour Conventions No. 138, No. 182 and of Convention No. 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers;

·       Taking legislative and policy action to end child labour and to protect young workers in domestic work;

·       Formalizing the employment relationship in domestic work, for instance by promoting the use of contracts;

·       Further enhancing the role of the social partners and extending freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining in domestic work;

·       Engaging with child domestic workers as agents for change.

In short, this report makes a call to end child labour in domestic work and to provide adequate protection to young workers, of legal working age, against abusive working conditions in domestic work.

Den vollständigen Bericht finden sie hier (pdf).