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Saturday 20 November marks Universal Children's Day, and
the 15th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child. Yet at least 10 million children around
the world are working as domestic servants (according to the ILO),
many in hazardous conditions -- denied their right to freedom, education,
rest and recreation.
From 22-24 November 2004, the UK charity Anti-Slavery International
in co-operation with Philippine NGOs Visayan Forum Foundation and
Child Workers in Asia is holding an international experts meeting
in Bangkok, Thailand to identify the most useful interventions to
protect child domestic workers from abuse and exploitation.
More than 30 experts who work directly with child domestic workers
in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean will attend the
meeting.
Children as young as five years old are used as domestics, forced
to work long hours, often for little or no pay, and are kept in
harsh conditions. Many are trafficked or are in debt bondage; 90
per cent are girls.
Although domestic work is widely seen as a safe occupation for children,
girls in particular, frequently it is extremely hazardous.
"Children in domestic work are hidden from view, making
them particularly vulnerable to physical, mental and sexual abuse.
It is vital that they are protected from this exploitation,"
Mary Cunneen, Director of Anti-Slavery International said.
Even though awareness of the realities of child domestic work has
grown, it has not been matched by increased action to improve the
lives of child domestic workers.
The views of over 400 child domestics and former child domestics
in Africa, Asia and Latin America will inform the meeting on such
vital issues of what needs to be done to help them and to improve
their conditions, and will be included in a forthcoming handbook
on the issue from Anti-Slavery International. All of the children
interviewed stated that "no child should be made to do this
work because of the abuse, exploitation and long hours we suffer.
If given the choice, we would not do this work".
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