Child labour

Trafficked children and children working under conditions characterised as worst form of child labour, such as child soldiers, prostitutes and street children are not covered in standard household surveys. Fafo is working on developing methodologies to approach these groups, both with quantitative and qualitative methodology to provide data on their situation.

Trafficking

Fafo has carried out several projects related to trafficking in women and children in various countries, i.e. Ukraine, the Balkans, the Baltic States and Norway. Both qualita-tive and quantitative methodological approaches have been applied.

Domestic child workers

Fafo has carried out specific studies on child domestic workers, a main work arena for young girls worldwide. The phenomenon is studied using both quantitative and qualitative methodology.

Child labour in formal and informal sector

Fafo has available data from the different Living Condition Surveys that enable an establishment of a database on children working in formal and informal sector.

In context

Child labour in context: Fafo usually collects child labour data as part of multi topic surveys. This gives the analyst a unique opportunity to grasp how child labour is linked up to social factors.

Conventions

Child trafficking is today recognised as a serious violation of children's rights. Rights leading back to the 1956 UN Convention on the abolition of slavery, slave trading and trading and institutions similar to slavery. During the last 15 years there have been established three new legal pillars that affirms the right of the child:

a) The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), where article 32 recognises the child's right "to be protected from economic exploitation";

b) The 1999 Convention 182 of the ILO, which in article 3 (a) recognises child trafficking as the worst form of child labour (C182 comes in addition to Convention 138 on Child Labour);

c) The UN General Assembly, Resolution 54/129 of 15 November 2000 to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, particularly women and children (The Palermo Protocol).

ILO Convention 182

ILO Convention 138

The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Palermo protocol

Contact

Anne Hatløy
email
tel +4722088623

Fafo researchers

Ingunn Bjørkhaug
Anette Brunovksis
Morten Bøås
Gro Hasselknippe
Henriette Lunde
Amsale Temesgen
Åge Tiltnes
Guri Tyldum

Fafo projects

Fafo publications

Useful links

ILO/IPEC

UNICEF

Understanding Children's Work

Childwatch International Research Network

Handlingsplan mot trafficking (pdf)