Currently, there are over 152 million child laborers around the world that are working in dangerous conditions in a variety of industries including agriculture, mining, domestic labor, and other sectors. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines child labor as “work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.”
When it comes to Mexico, in recent years much attention and efforts have focused on combating child labor. While this focus has brought about ample changes and reductions to the number of child laborers, there is still more to be done. According to a recent study, Mexico has over 3.6 million child laborers between the ages of 5 and 17 years. This means that Mexico accounts for 50% of the child labor found within Latin America and the Caribbean. Of these 3.6 million child laborers, 1.7 million are doing domestic work inadequate conditions that risk their health, which is the equivocal of 5.7% of the population of 5 to 17 year-olds in Mexico. Children who take up work in the streets of Mexico risk even greater danger, as they expose themselves to abuse, drug addiction, delinquency, and social marginalization. Of the 1.7 million domestic child laborers, 20.8% of these children are not in school, while 53.3% of these children work, study, and perform household chores. The same study revealed that 6 in every 10 children throughout Mexico are looking for informal work to make money.
Another dimension of child labor in Mexico is the disproportion among gender. There is near double the number of young boys in child labor in Mexico. They represent 67% of the child laborers between 5 and 17 years of age and girls making up the remaining 33%. The geographical region of child laborers is also of importance. Approximately 7 out of every 10 child laborers reside in rural areas of Mexico. In rural areas where agriculture is a prominent source of income, child labor is significantly higher than in other more urbanized cities. These children work job in fields, on the streets, in factories and around many other unsafe places that have horrid working conditions. Beyond the horrible working conditions, the working hours are long. Some children working in agricultural fields work sunrise to sunset (or longer). Often the amount of money these children make each day will barely provide food for the day.
The agricultural sector in Mexico has a particularly high level of child labors when compared to other industries. This is primarily a result of the informal payment system used on fruit and vegetable plantations. Often the wages earned are based by piece or unit collected, instead of by hour or day. This creates an enticing incentive for child labors and families alike. As poverty is the primary driving factor for child labor, families in the agricultural sector often resort to having their children work. Sadly, as the remuneration for a collected piece of fruit or vegetable is low, these families often live below the poverty line. Therefore, parents are forced to take their children to work to help supplement the family income. To be able to make a livable wage, these families see their children as the answer.
Many organizations across Mexico are working to combat Mexico’s high child labor rates. According to the ILO, the answer to reducing child labor is by “interrupting the cycle of scarcity and address the problem of family poverty,” which in most cases is the reason one takes children to work. Similarly, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has also agreed that to effectively combat child labor, the focus must be on poverty reduction. It is important to note that the eradication of child labor cannot be achieved in a silo, but rather it demands the attention and support of public, social and private sector actors. It requires a change in policy, action, and enforcement. While over the past few years Mexico has succeeded in reducing the number of child laborers, it is only the beginning. Mexico has a long road ahead when it comes to combating child labor and the poverty driving it. The time for action is now, and with the help of public, private and international actors Mexico has the ability to make a change in these children’s lives.
