MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
One in six Argentine children aged 5-17 forced to work to help their families
An estimated 12.3% work out of their homes says the report is from the Catholic University of Argentina An estimated 17.6% of Argentine children between the age of 5 and 17 living in urban areas are forced to work, according to a report from the Argentine Catholic University, UCA, released last week.
This percentage of Argentine children and adolescents are involved mostly in intensive domestic activities, who work helping their parents by holding a job on their own to make money for the family or are employed outside their homes or in apprentice jobs.
According to the UCA Infancy Social Debt Barometer report based on data from the second half of 2010, almost 8.2% of under-17 is involved in intensive domestic activities such as looking after brothers and sisters, cooking and tending other homes duties.
Another 12.3% does non-home activities such as self-employed to earn money for the family or has a job or is an apprentice mainly in workshops.
The report also points out that the poorer the family or the lower the socio-economic bracket to which they belong, the tendency to be involved in home activities or outside jobs or apprenticeships increases dramatically.
“Children and adolescents who need to work to help families or keep themselves affects education inclusion, increases the probability of school absenteeism and when they attend, their learning capacity is impaired”, points out the report.
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Read all commentsVery sad. I have seen many children working late at night in Buenos Aires and it is a distressing situation. They miss out on the education that might lead them out of poverty.
Jun 14th, 2011 - 04:33 pm 0If the children are not being abused or exploited I cannot see how it harms them. The bigger problem is the spoiled brats of the Affluent who, in the event of an economic downturn, will be unable to help themselves and become a burden on the state.
Jun 14th, 2011 - 05:55 pm 0@ 2. You support child labour? How can it be anything but abuse and exploitation?
Jun 14th, 2011 - 06:03 pm 0Children should have the right to a childhood and education. Without education they have no hope of getting out of the poverty trap.
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