The ILO has finally released figures (estimates) on the number of child domestic workers in the world, this is the first time we have had any official world-wide statistics...guess what the numbers are?
a) 150 thousand?
b) 1.5 million?
c) 15.5 million?
The answer is revealed at the end of this blog...but see if you can figure it out for yourself. The number is roughly equivalent to TWICE the population of my home town, London. Imagining twice as many people here - all child domestic workers - when I'm stuck in traffic on the Mile End Road or crammed into a tube at rush hour will, I'm sure, bring it home. Another interesting fact is that children make up one-third of the estimated 53 million domestic workers in the world, that's a very high proportion of children in domestic work. And these figures are all extremely conservative!
The ILO goes on to state that 8.1 million child domestic workers - more than than half the children (and if you haven't figured out what the number is now you must have hated maths more than me at school!) are engaged in hazardous work - this means they are working long hours, are carrying heavy loads, are exposed to dangerous chemicals, sharp knives etc. They are isolated and vulnerable to sexual exploitation; and are deprived of an education.
Here's a summary of the hazards child domestic workers face from the report - the purple section is what struck me most and just seems intolerable, this is what has been 'revealed' by the ILO - the lost children working 'out of public view'.
The answer is C 15.5 million
a) 150 thousand?
b) 1.5 million?
c) 15.5 million?
The answer is revealed at the end of this blog...but see if you can figure it out for yourself. The number is roughly equivalent to TWICE the population of my home town, London. Imagining twice as many people here - all child domestic workers - when I'm stuck in traffic on the Mile End Road or crammed into a tube at rush hour will, I'm sure, bring it home. Another interesting fact is that children make up one-third of the estimated 53 million domestic workers in the world, that's a very high proportion of children in domestic work. And these figures are all extremely conservative!
The ILO goes on to state that 8.1 million child domestic workers - more than than half the children (and if you haven't figured out what the number is now you must have hated maths more than me at school!) are engaged in hazardous work - this means they are working long hours, are carrying heavy loads, are exposed to dangerous chemicals, sharp knives etc. They are isolated and vulnerable to sexual exploitation; and are deprived of an education.
Here's a summary of the hazards child domestic workers face from the report - the purple section is what struck me most and just seems intolerable, this is what has been 'revealed' by the ILO - the lost children working 'out of public view'.
Tasks | Hazards | Injuries & potential health consequences |
Cooking, cleaning, ironing and other household chores | Sharp blades, hot pans, stoves and other tools in poor repair, toxic chemicals | Cuts, burns,, respiratory disease, rashes and other forms of dermatitis, allergies, ergonomic injuries |
Gardening | Sharp objects, heavy loads, hot weather, stinging insects, toxic pesticides and fertilizers. | Cuts, back and other muscle pain, heat stroke, sunburn, dehydration, insect and animal bites, developmental & neurological effects. |
Gather fuel, water, groceries | Heavy loads, traffic and other urban hazards, long distances by foot. | Back and other muscle pain, injury from traffic accident or urban violence, harassment |
All tasks out of public view | Inadequate food and shelter, long hours, no privacy, physical, verbal and sexual abuse, humiliating or degrading treatment | Exhaustion, hunger, depression, behavioural disorders, suicidal tendancies, bruises, burns and other injuries incurred from abuse |
All tasks when working alone | Isolation, separation from family and peers | Disrupted psychological, social and intellectual development. |
The answer is C 15.5 million
