This text is part of the special International Solidarity section
Of all the issues related to food security, child labor is probably the most complex. Because, at present, the two are intimately linked.
“We have a young person who was too exposed to refrigeration in a fish factory in India, and who developed chronic pain from which he will suffer throughout his life,” says Éloïse Savoie, general director of International Aid for ‘childhood. The edge remains stuck across the throat and that’s a good thing. According to the latest figures from the United Nations, of the 160 million children forced to work, 112 million do so in the agricultural sector, which represents 70% of the child labor force. And the numbers have only increased since the pandemic, which forced the need to replace the missing adult workforce. A sad record on which the livelihood of many families depends. Parents make their children work to have enough to feed everyone in the household.
This is where the vicious circle sets in: parents are too poor to do without the income generated by their children, so they do not have time to go to school and will therefore not be able to claim to better-paying jobs that would give them a chance to escape poverty and precariousness as adults, forcing them to do the same with their own children.
Take evil by the roots
To transform this vicious circle into a virtuous circle, Mme Savoie sees only one solution: “Children work because of poverty, so to solve the problem, we must tackle the problem by the roots by fighting against poverty.” Her organization has notably set up a microcredit program in India so that women can obtain the means to start their own business to increase household income, so as to have the means to send their children to school.
However, the solution is not exclusively in the hands of humanitarian organizations. Civil society, in the countries of the North, can also make its contribution. By donating to one of these organizations, certainly, but not only that, explains Éloïse Savoie: “As individuals, we must review our consumption habits. Fair trade, for example, ensures that there are no children involved in harvesting products and ensures a better income for producers. » There is therefore food for thought when the time comes to choose your tea or coffee.
“The boycott, on the other hand, can prove more harmful than beneficial, warns Mme Savoy. It can actually be worse for a child to find themselves out of work rather than working with their family. » Not to mention the fact that a boycott risks depriving entire communities of income and plunging them into food insecurity.
Another power that citizens here have, however, would be to put pressure on governments to review free trade treaties, adds the general director of International Children’s Aid. “International trade is necessary, but it must be better regulated,” she says, indicating that trade policies are based on the needs of businesses. According to her, we must put the needs of communities at the center in order to move towards greater equity.
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