ID :
106172
Fri, 02/12/2010 - 09:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/106172
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RI HAD 1.7 MILLION CHILD LABORERS IN 2009 :SURVEY
Jakarta, Feb 10 (ANTARA) - Indonesia had no fewer than an estimated 1.7 million child laborers in 2009, according to a survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in cooperation with the International Labor Organization (ILO).
A member of the BPS team that carried out the survey, Uzair Suhaimi, said the survey results were currently used by the National Action Committee against Child Labor which hopes to have eradicated the practice by 2022.
"The survey still had some shortcomings, but it was an initial step to eliminate child labor in Indonesia," he said at seminar on child labor here Thursday.
Suhaimi said the child labor survey had been prepared since 2006 in cooperation with ILO which had been raising the issue since 2006. Sample regions for the survey were chosen in 2008.
The survey was conducted in 248 districts and sampling was done on some 12,000 households across the country.
"The survey was done on 12,000 registered households and did not cover homeless street children," Suhaimi said.
Recording the number of homeless child laborers had proven to be too difficult but efforts would be made to overcome those difficulties in future surveys, he said.
The surveyed children were aged 5-17 years old and, the 17-year age limit was accepted in accordance with existing legal norm on the maximum age of a child, said Suhaimi
Meanwhile, a member of the ILO monitoring and evaluation team, Abdul Hakim said child labor must be eradicated quickly, and parents or other adults who employed children must be called to account.
"The adults who employ children must obviously also be held responsible, not only the parents. In fact, we all must be responsible when we see or know about children being put to work," he said.
Hakim further said child labor happens when the children involved are under 17 years old and are forced to live in slavery-like conditions, engage in commercial sex, illegal or hazardous activities.
The results of the survey was a warning to the government to address the child labor issue more seriously.
"ILO has always supported government efforts to eliminate child labor in Indonesia," Hakim said.
To free Indonesia from child labor by 2022, the government should focus on activities that have a direct impact on welfare and child survival, he said.
Besides, the government should also resolve many child labor cases by adapting previous handled cases properly.
"The government should focus on this issue, and the various agencies concerned should also have the spirit and refer to the initial plan to make Indonesia free from child labor," Hakim cited.
Hakim also said that the law on child labor must be revised to make it more effective in fighting exploitation of children.
But he also said it was important to realize that fighting child labor was the duty of the community, not only of the government or the social and child protection services.
A member of the BPS team that carried out the survey, Uzair Suhaimi, said the survey results were currently used by the National Action Committee against Child Labor which hopes to have eradicated the practice by 2022.
"The survey still had some shortcomings, but it was an initial step to eliminate child labor in Indonesia," he said at seminar on child labor here Thursday.
Suhaimi said the child labor survey had been prepared since 2006 in cooperation with ILO which had been raising the issue since 2006. Sample regions for the survey were chosen in 2008.
The survey was conducted in 248 districts and sampling was done on some 12,000 households across the country.
"The survey was done on 12,000 registered households and did not cover homeless street children," Suhaimi said.
Recording the number of homeless child laborers had proven to be too difficult but efforts would be made to overcome those difficulties in future surveys, he said.
The surveyed children were aged 5-17 years old and, the 17-year age limit was accepted in accordance with existing legal norm on the maximum age of a child, said Suhaimi
Meanwhile, a member of the ILO monitoring and evaluation team, Abdul Hakim said child labor must be eradicated quickly, and parents or other adults who employed children must be called to account.
"The adults who employ children must obviously also be held responsible, not only the parents. In fact, we all must be responsible when we see or know about children being put to work," he said.
Hakim further said child labor happens when the children involved are under 17 years old and are forced to live in slavery-like conditions, engage in commercial sex, illegal or hazardous activities.
The results of the survey was a warning to the government to address the child labor issue more seriously.
"ILO has always supported government efforts to eliminate child labor in Indonesia," Hakim said.
To free Indonesia from child labor by 2022, the government should focus on activities that have a direct impact on welfare and child survival, he said.
Besides, the government should also resolve many child labor cases by adapting previous handled cases properly.
"The government should focus on this issue, and the various agencies concerned should also have the spirit and refer to the initial plan to make Indonesia free from child labor," Hakim cited.
Hakim also said that the law on child labor must be revised to make it more effective in fighting exploitation of children.
But he also said it was important to realize that fighting child labor was the duty of the community, not only of the government or the social and child protection services.
