Child labour: A barrier to education

Abstract

This study focuses on the issue of child labour as a barrier to education. Compulsory education cannot be fulfilled when a child or young person is prevented from attending school because they are working below the legal minimum age. It is necessary to combat child labour by opening up the possibility for minors to have access to education, as provided for in Goal 8 of the 2030 Agenda, approved by the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in 2015. This goal aims to "take immediate and effective measures to end forced labour", in particular of children and promote public policies to "prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms". In the same sense, the International Labour Organization provides in its Conventions Nos. 138 and 182. The first is from 1973 and deals with Minimum Age for Admission to Employment. The second from 1989 aims to combat the Worst Forms of Child Labour. These activities violate human rights and are penalised by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines the right of every human being to education (Article 26), with compulsory elementary education. Children who are obliged to work do not have free access to their right to education. The methodology adopted was of a qualitative and quantitative nature, through bibliographical research and the applicable national and international legislative instruments and also by analysing the available data on the number of children who are repressed and cannot access education. The results show that it is the poorest and most disadvantaged who are affected by these practices that harm their rights. Governments need to be aware of this scourge and promote policies to combat child labour, apply appropriate sanctions to those who do not comply with the law and guarantee all children access to education, especially those who are persecuted and used as slave labour and whose lives are in danger or their health is at risk due to poor working conditions, with the aggravating factor that they are children and are deprived of going to school. Without education, their chances of finding a good, decent and rewarding job are slim to none. It is concluded that child labour is a barrier to education and measures need to be taken to promote the improvement and dignification of child labour and to try to achieve target 8.7 of goal 8 of the 2030 Agenda.