SOCIAL CHANGE FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD DOMESTIC LABOUR Clarice da Silva e Paula SOCIAL NORMS COURSE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA July 2012

The issue Not all work that children do is harmful However it is child labour if the work they do deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development ILO estimates that there are 306 million children doing some kind of work 70% are engaged in child labour amounting to 215 million children (115 million in hazardous work)

Is domestic work child labour? Millions of children work as domestic helpers, performing tasks such as cleaning and cooking and looking after siblings However it is domestic child labour when a child works in the household of a third party below the minimum age for employment or by a child above the legal age in hazardous and slave-like conditions (with or without remuneration)

Impact Child domestic work is one of the most widespread and potentially exploitative forms of child work in the world due to discrimination, exclusion from labour laws, isolation and it hidden nature Children are at even greater risk, due to their young ages, lack of awareness of their rights, separation from their family, and dependence on their employer There are least 15.5 million children in domestic work out of which 8.1 million are engaged in hazardous work More girls under 16 are engaged in DCL than any other form

The demand side Why are children engaged in DCL when it is a human rights violation? It is the one of the oldest professions in the world There is a social acceptance from the demand side and poverty from the supply side - the orphaned “Cinderella” effect The more demand grows the more the practice becomes organized (recruitment agents; trafficking for labour) Employers prefer girls because they easier to manage and because they are cheaper to employ

The supply side While poverty and shortcomings in education are considered the principal causes, no single factor can fully explain its persistence. Other factors include discrimination (social status or ethnicity), displacement and migration, lack of alternative opportunities Social acceptance in many cultures, particularly for girls

Is there a social norm? Parents represent 62% of the source of induction into employment, while only 8 % of children make their own decisions. In some societies people have children because they are profitable. Hypotheses: Factual belief – children contribute to the family income Personal normative belief – children should work to contribute to the family income Empirical expectation – others send their children to work Normative expectation – others expect parents to send their children to work There could be a case of pluralistic ignorance – parents do not want children to work but think other do Social norm - establishes that children should go to work (supported by other factors, including economic)

Gender There is a script on the role of girls Child domestic work is a natural extension of traditional female roles in caring for a household and its members, and part of a girl’s apprenticeship for adulthood and marriage Hypotheses leading to a social norm: Empirical expectation – girls work in domestic service Normative expectation – others expect girls to work in domestic service

Does this also apply to domestic child labour? Factual belief – work is good for the character and skills building of children. Is this an unconditional preference? Is work good no matter the conditions? Hypothesis: there are no beliefs or expectations around children being engaged in work that is exploitative and that affects their health and development or puts them at risk of abuse and violence However, parents may believe that children should work in these conditions because, for example, they did it too. Evidence suggests that this is not necessarily true since parents think that girls are safe working in households If there are no normative beliefs and expectations why are there 8.1 million children working in these conditions (aside from economic factors)?

Values Parents and others may not think that children should be engaged in domestic child labour However there could be a social norm establishing that children should go to work grounded on the belief that it is good for them In this case there is a challenge on how to address domestic child labour without discarding the value of child domestic work

Contributing factor - its hidden nature Child domestic work takes place in the private sphere and so it is hard to monitor and gather data However how can data and evidence support the establishment of a new positive norm that protects children? The role of a comprehensive legal framework which prohibits domestic child labour and regulates on monitoring and sanction systems Research suggest that child labour is more prevalent in highly unmonitored, informal and rural sectors - increased child labour in the informal sector where the law is not enforced Monitoring and evidence brings awareness of the issue as well as of its prohibition (ex: legal minimum age)

Law changing perceptions If people where aware of the incidence and negative impact of domestic child labour would they be more compelled to ensure that children are working in safe conditions? Important to recall: The expressive function of the law and the function of sanctions making statements., i.e, domestic child labour is unacceptable A new (or amended) law may change perceptions and create a new basis for shame, especially when there is a norm of obeying the law The answer to the question is “possibly”, particularly since research suggests that where law is enforced child labour is more “controlled”

The role of education Why are children working and not in school? Education costs; forgone earnings; quality of education and lack of future opportunities Gender – beliefs that girls (or boys in some societies) need less education linked to perceptions and scripts on the role of girls - girls should perform domestic services Violence in schools – belief that girls are not safe in schools (based on evidence of incidents of violence) and on perceptions people may have towards men/boys (power dynamic)

The way forward Programme strategies should be developed based on the UNICEF Child Protection Strategy – holistic approach (systems and social change) Harmonization of legal, moral and social norms Norms building (children should be protected from domestic child labour) through: Legal reform – including monitoring and sanctions Social protection – CCTs linked to school enrolment and attendance; values deliberation based on the right of children to be protected from harm and on the right to quality education (leadership and participation) Visibility of commitment and rewards - school book pin; end of school year celebrations

Thank you!