Survey finds 400,000 Thai children are at work

[webfact]

Survey finds 400,000 Thai children are at work

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

1 in 4 found to be working in dangerous conditions and during sleeping hours

 

A recent study found that over 400,000 Thais under the age of 18 spend at least one hour a week labouring either for wages, other benefits or simply to ease their parent’s workload.  

 

“Nearly half of the youngsters are no longer in school,” Vivathana Thanghong, director-general of the Labour Protection and Welfare Department, said yesterday. 

 

Of the working children, 177,000 are considered labourers because of the time they devote to working each week.

 

Also worrying is the fact that nearly one in four of the child labourers engage in dangerous work, such as carrying heavy items, handling hazardous chemicals, working in extremely hot or cold temperatures or in areas with heavy noise pollution or working during rest hours between 10pm and 6am. 

 

Vivathana released the figures from a 2018 survey to mark the World Day against Child Labour on Wednesday.

 

He said the top three causes of child labour a wish to ease their family’s workload, need to generate supplementary income for their family and lack of interest in studies. 

 

“As many as 266,000 children have worked without any pay,” he said. 

 

The July to September survey last year involved 26,643 families with children aged between five and 17. 

 

“According to the findings, it can be concluded that about 225,000 children work anything from 15 to 48 hours weekly,” he said. 

 

The survey also revealed that 189,000 children worked in the agricultural sector, while 161,000 others served in the trade and service sector. 

 

Vivathana said 71.9 per cent of child workers were boys, and most were between the ages of 15 and 17. 

 

Thailand ratified the International Labour Organisation’s 2001 international convention to fight child labour. 

 

Overall improvement

 

Overall, Vivathana said, the Kingdom’s situation in terms of child labour has improved, with the number of young workers dropping from more than 300,000 in 2015 to less than 180,000 now. 

 

Thailand is also ranked in the best category in terms of progress against the worst forms of child labour. Prepared by the United States, the report on the issue has put Thailand in the highest “significant advancement” for many years consecutively. Just 17 of 132 countries have, so far, received this recognition.

 

Vivathana urged parents not to push their children into the labour market just because they need extra income for their family. 

 

“Children should be in school for proper growth and development,” he said, adding that employers should also recognise that hiring poor children does not mean they are helping the children. 

 

Vivathana said while government policies play a crucial role in protecting children, other sectors of society must also help bring an end to child labour.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30371062

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-06-14

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[bangkokfrog]

Almost all countries have a history of child labour/exploitation. The only difference is that most others put a stop to it around 100 years ago.

[pattayadgw]

I wonder what the number is for burmese, lao or cambodians under 18 working in LOS?

[fforest1]

400,000 Thais under the age of 18 spend at least one hour a week

 

One hour a week? Talk about being desperate to pump up your figures..

Cant have children helping out the family business...

[Sonhia]

Last night I witnessed a very young male Thai student still in his school uniform clearing tables at a make-shift restaurant next to Mini Big C on Sukumvit road near PPT Bangsaray, Chon Buri province at about 21:30 (pm), I recall saying to my Thai partner, "that boy should be in bed!"

 

It's no wonder young Thais are uneducated, depressed,  aggressive, unable to stay awake in class... Parents have a duty plus alot to answer for as do the authorities, but this is paradise where money means more than anything else even more than a childs welfare. Children seem to be used as slave labour and I've witnessed babies being used in many tourist hotspot areas within Thailand by guardians to simply obtain money.  Disgraceful.

 

Learning life skills is a good thing but there is a time and place for everything.

 

 

 

 

 

[Assurancetourix]

1 hour ago, Matzzon said:

Under the age of 18 is not

you forget that the majority is 20 years old in Thailand .

[PatOngo]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Survey finds 400,000 Thai children are at work

Once they have read "Animal Farm" as recommended by the PM, they will understand their station in Thai society!

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, bangkokfrog said:

Almost all countries have a history of child labour/exploitation. The only difference is that most others put a stop to it around 100 years ago.

In England a "civilised" country I did a "newspaper round" in the early morning before school.... I was only 13 when I started... at 15 I switched to working in the local chip shop and a restaurant evenings & weekends for my pocket money.

At 16 I left school and started my apprenticeship at an aircraft company... the money I'd saved bought my first tool-kit so I could start work.

It taught me a valuable lesson about life & how to handle money... did me no harm what-so-ever!

 

[Srikcir]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand ratified the International Labour Organisation’s 2001 international convention to fight child labour

I couldn't find an ILO convention per se to "fight child labour."

Matching the year 2001 there was ILO C182, "Worst Forms of Child Labour". However, as of February 2014 it was signed by Thailand but not ratified. 

There was also the 2004 ILO C138, "Minimum Age." But again it was signed but not ratified. 

http://www.mekongmigration.org/?page_id=2008

[billd766]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

In England a "civilised" country I did a "newspaper round" in the early morning before school.... I was only 13 when I started... at 15 I switched to working in the local chip shop and a restaurant evenings & weekends for my pocket money.

At 16 I left school and started my apprenticeship at an aircraft company... the money I'd saved bought my first tool-kit so I could start work.

It taught me a valuable lesson about life & how to handle money... did me no harm what-so-ever!

 

I used to do an evening paper round when I was 11 switching to a morning paper round at 13. At the weekends I used to be a delivery boy for the local grocers shop.

[Artisi]

4 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I used to do an evening paper round when I was 11 switching to a morning paper round at 13. At the weekends I used to be a delivery boy for the local grocers shop.

Similar for me, prior to PC and mamby pamby mommies boy. 

[Orton Rd]

Half of the staff in Big C and 7 appear to be schoolkids

[RJRS1301]

I have seen children as young as 8 ( well that's what they looked) assisting in food outlets late at night. Both parents( well I assumed they were the parents) working in the business. I guess no one to babysit.mind the child, and cannot leave a child alone at that age.

Poverty and inequality.

 

[RJRS1301]

22 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I used to do an evening paper round when I was 11 switching to a morning paper round at 13. At the weekends I used to be a delivery boy for the local grocers shop.

Yes well they used to send kids down the mines, and up chimneys once, does not make it right

[Thongkorn]

6 hours ago, Sonhia said:

Last night I witnessed a very young male Thai student still in his school uniform clearing tables at a make-shift restaurant next to Mini Big C on Sukumvit road near PPT Bangsaray, Chon Buri province at about 21:30 (pm), I recall saying to my Thai partner, "that boy should be in bed!"

 

It's no wonder young Thais are uneducated, depressed,  aggressive, unable to stay awake in class... Parents have a duty plus alot to answer for as do the authorities, but this is paradise where money means more than anything else even more than a childs welfare. Children seem to be used as slave labour and I've witnessed babies being used in many tourist hotspot areas within Thailand by guardians to simply obtain money.  Disgraceful.

 

Learning life skills is a good thing but there is a time and place for everything.

 

 

 

 

 

While standards of living are low you will always get slave labour ,thats how Society works rich get rich and keep it the poor get used, Dont blame the Parents 

[billd766]

2 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Yes well they used to send kids down the mines, and up chimneys once, does not make it right

But it did at the time in the late 1950s.

 

My 17 year old son in the UK had a part time Saturday job stacking shelves at the local supermarket.

[RJRS1301]

13 minutes ago, billd766 said:

But it did at the time in the late 1950s.

 

My 17 year old son in the UK had a part time Saturday job stacking shelves at the local supermarket.

Big difference being 17 and working part time, and being under 12 years, as I have seen many.

Just because things may have been legal, did not make it right.

 

[khunPer]

400,000 "children" under 18 years old working at least one hour per week, including helping parent's workload...????

 

Would make more sense to recalculate into percentage of population under 18, or between x-year and 18-year, and then compare with other countries.

 

My instantly comparison is to my Danish home country, which by specification should rank in Top-10 in most index. Numerous school kids under 18 years works some hours every week for extra pocket money – the are actually protected by law for a minimum income if employed by companies, i.e. half of the 18+ year minimum wage per hour, and I believe not allowed to work (alone) after 8 pm or so – and some just earn little extra pocket money by walking dogs for elder folks, or Sunday mornings selling bread in a baker-shop (mainly girls), or in summer season help somewhere like selling ice-cream in summer vacation areas, or plucking strawberries and other fruits. I think we in percentage is equal to, or even beat, the Thai children...????

 

That's why some kind of official comparison would be interesting. 

 

My top-ranking home country also has 9 years of mandatory school, i.e. at around age 16 teens can legally finish school and start working, if not beginning an apprenticeship or like education. There are probably more teens continuing in a 10th school-year – equal to 11th year if counting International school years, we call it "high school", but nothing like comparing with an internation or English-system high school, which is named "gymnasium" in Denmark, would be like kind of Thai M4, but not the real level – so those teens would be about 17-years old, before starting a level of education, or beginning to work.

 

But agree in, that working conditions, here-under working with dangerous materials or machines, should be regulated, but that also counts for fully grown up's worker in Thailand.

 

By the way, my Luk khrueng (half child) Thai daughter on 13 fit into the statistics, because she is working. She loves to help the yoghurt ice seller at the our village's weekly walking street market, making ice on an open freezer plate – I got no idea what its called in English, but the taste is anyway delicious – she works more than an hour, and she is even not paid, but I believe she can eat some ice-cream in return. Its Okay, I did the something similar – well, probably little more advanced, I began travelling with a circus in vacations and week-ends – when I was at her age, and younger, and actually got some good real life experience in return...????

[khunPer]

In our local Tesco-Lotus mall, half the cashiers in the afternoon shift are in M4-M6 high- school uniforms – mainly girls, but sometimes also a boy – with an apron saying "Part Time Staff"; child labor or...????

[ocddave]

Children in Thailand are expected to bring home money to support their parents, why else do you think they have children?!

[rickudon]

What's so unusual about children working? In the UK -

Quote

During term time children can only work a maximum of 12 hours a week. This includes: a maximum of 2 hours on school days and Sundays. a maximum of 5 hours on Saturdays for 13 to 14-year-olds, or 8 hours for 15 to 16-year-olds.

The issue is not working, but regulation.

[rkidlad]

11 minutes ago, rickudon said:

What's so unusual about children working? In the UK -

The issue is not working, but regulation.

I got a summer job when I was 14 & 15 working in the local butchers. It was illegal for me to be working but I wanted to do it. My parents okayed it, and I wanted the money. 

 

I'm all for younger people working for extra money if they choose to. The problem in a country like Thailand would be working out who really wants to do it and who is being forced to. I think it's probably for the best that kids shouldn't be allowed to work until they're a certain age. Too much corruption and lack of law enforcement here to be able to safeguard children properly. 

[poohy]

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

Yes well they used to send kids down the mines, and up chimneys once, does not make it right

Thats why you only feed them once a week otherwise they get fat and get stuck!

 

Seriously I was serving petrol at a local garage aged 13 (albeit in sane times 40 years ago)

 

Ps 400 000 seems a familiar number 

[Bullie]

10 hours ago, bangkokfrog said:

Almost all countries have a history of child labour/exploitation. The only difference is that most others put a stop to it around 100 years ago.

Only in the Western world, mr. Frog. India, Pakistan, all the other Stans, South America and major parts of Africa unfortunately prove you wrong there. Anywhere where people are really poor, children still have to chip in actually.

[dcnx]

Thais wouldn’t do this. Not to children.

[bluebluewater]

The first ones I think of when stories such as this one appear is the kids who wander through the beer bars, beach, and restaurant areas selling flowers, trinkets, and such and do so at all hours.  I've seen some of these kids literally grow up doing that crap.  11 p.m. and a six year old is out working.  There is an adult behind it that needs a whuppin"

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, bluebluewater said:

The first ones I think of when stories such as this one appear is the kids who wander through the beer bars, beach, and restaurant areas selling flowers, trinkets, and such and do so at all hours.  I've seen some of these kids literally grow up doing that crap.  11 p.m. and a six year old is out working.  There is an adult behind it that needs a whuppin"

Most – if not all – of those kids are not Thais, but imported from neighboring countries, often by well organized organizations that rent the kids from their parents. Where I live its mainly Khmer children. The best you can do is not buying their flowers, or other stuff they sell.

[wgdanson]

6 hours ago, billd766 said:

I used to do an evening paper round when I was 11 switching to a morning paper round at 13. At the weekends I used to be a delivery boy for the local grocers shop.

At 15 years old, in 1963, I used to go round on a Friday evening collecting the money for newspapers for the shop. Dark evenings carrying maybe a couple of hundred quid. I was more scared of the dogs than being mugged. 

[bangkokfrog]

10 hours ago, hotchilli said:

In England a "civilised" country I did a "newspaper round" in the early morning before school.... I was only 13 when I started... at 15 I switched to working in the local chip shop and a restaurant evenings & weekends for my pocket money.

At 16 I left school and started my apprenticeship at an aircraft company... the money I'd saved bought my first tool-kit so I could start work.

It taught me a valuable lesson about life & how to handle money... did me no harm what-so-ever!

 

I also worked as a delivery boy, etc when I was young. The difference is exactly as you say... we worked to gain experience / earn pocket money (as many young people do today at McDonald's, etc.)... not because this is the only way the family can survive or to be exploited by them.