Letter from the EB:
Greetings, Delegates!
It is a privilege to welcome you to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
at Together MUN Korea! We are the Executive Boards of UNICEF Together MUN Korea 4.0.
Khadija Zakriya Jamadar as the Head Chair, Sayanabha Chandra and Karlen Anne Raintama as
the Co-Chair. As chairs, we are very grateful to have you as delegates in the UNICEF council.
We are hoping we all can have a great time. As chairs, we will do our best to provide you with
the best experience.
This background guide was carefully assembled to be utilized as you, the delegates, begin your
research for the conference. This Background Guide serves as an introduction to the topics for
this committee. However, it is not intended to replace individual research. We would like to
emphasize that it is only part of your research; we expect each delegate to explore the topics on
their merits fully.
Child Labour and Child Trafficking are one of the most interesting topics to discuss. We believe
children should be nurtured and have great childhood memories. Nurturing children will have
great outcomes for the nations because we believe children are one of the golden assets to the
country. We are hoping we all can have a creative or effective way to address this issue.
We wish you all of best luck in this Together MUN Kore 4.0. If you have any queries, feel free to
ask us through the Whatsapp group chat or personal message or through the following email
addresses: [email protected];[email protected] (Khadija Zakriya
Jamadar - Head Chair), [email protected] (Sayanabha Chandra - Co-Chair),
and [email protected] (Karlen Anne Raintama - Co-Chair).
Committee Introduction:
In the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
(UNICEF) was formed in 1946. Its mission is clear: to assist children and youth whose lives and
futures are in jeopardy, regardless of their country's role in the conflict. UNICEF is concerned
with reaching every child in need and safeguarding children's rights to live, thrive, and achieve
their full potential.
UNICEF has several crucial roles, including:
● Supporting governments to implement the Convention through laws and policies,
including providing institutional and professional capacity development.
● Participating in different stages of the monitoring process.
● Supporting the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
● Working with governments to identify implementation strategies in response to the
Committee's recommendations.
● Helping to ensure that voices that too often go unheard are reflected in the information
presented to the Committee.
UNICEF is active in 191 nations and territories around the world, but not in nine more
(Bahamas, Brunei, Cyprus, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Singapore, and
Taiwan).
UNICEF strives to reach the world's most vulnerable children and adolescents, as well as to
protect the rights of every child, everywhere. From early childhood to adolescence, UNICEF
does everything that can help children survive, flourish, and reach their full potential in over 190
nations and territories.
UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, adequate water and sanitation, quality education
and skill development, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies, and the protection
of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation as the world's largest vaccine
provider.
Agenda Introduction:
Child labour is a term everyone might have heard about in news or movies. It refers to a
crime where children are forced to work from a very early age. It is like expecting kids to
perform responsibilities like working and fending for themselves. There are certain policies
formulated by the United Nations which have put restrictions and limitations on children
working.
Child Labour happens due to various reasons. While some of the reasons may be
common in some countries, there are some reasons which are specific in particular areas and
regions. When we look at what is causing child labour, we will be able to fight it better. Firstly, it
happens in countries that have a lot of poverty and unemployment. When the families won’t have
enough earning, they put the children of the family to work so they can have enough money to
survive. Similarly, if the adults of the family are unemployed, the younger ones might have to
work in their place.
Nations around the globe have put in place a range of laws and projects to encounter the
issue of child labour so that to ensure that children are protected from work and exploitation
which is harmful to their development. It is essential to ensure that children live in economically
stable families and get the chance to go to institutions and have an education. Child labour
cannot be dealt with in isolation. Children are employed because they are cheap and docile to the
demands of the employer and not aware of their rights. The risks that these children face can
have an irreversible psychological, physical and moral impact on their development, health and
wellbeing.
If the world wishes to eradicate child labour completely, it needs to formulate some very
effective solutions which will save the children. It will also enhance the future of any country
dealing with these social issues. To begin with, one can create a number of unions that solely
work to prevent child labour. It should help the children indulging in this work and punishing
those who make them do it. Furthermore, we need to keep the parents in the loop so as to teach
them the importance of education. If we make education free and the people aware, we will be
able to educate more and more children who won’t have to do child labour. Moreover, making
people aware of the harmful consequences of child labour is a must. In addition, family control
measures must also be taken. This will reduce the family’s burden so when you have lesser
mouths to feed, the parents will be enough to work for them, instead of the children. In fact,
every family must be promised a minimum income by the government to survive. In short, the
government and people must come together. Employment opportunities must be given to people
in abundance so they can earn their livelihood instead of putting their kids to work. The children
are the future of our country; we cannot expect them to maintain the economic conditions of their
families instead of having a normal childhood.
Nations around the globe have put in place a range of laws and projects to encounter the
issue of child labour so that to ensure that children are protected from work and exploitation
which is harmful to their development. It is essential to ensure that children live in economically
stable families and get the chance to go to institutions and have an education. Child labour
cannot be dealt with in isolation. Children are employed because they are cheap and docile to the
demands of the employer and not aware of their rights. The risks that these children face can
have an irreversible psychological, physical and moral impact on their development, health and
wellbeing.
Facts and Figures
● Worldwide 218 million children between 5 and 17 years are in employment.
● Among them, 152 million are victims of child labour; almost half of them, 73 million,
work in hazardous child labour.
● In absolute terms, almost half of child labour (72.1 million) is to be found in Africa; 62.1
million in the Asia and the Pacific; 10.7 million in the Americas; 1.2 million in the Arab
States and 5.5 million in Europe and Central Asia.
● In terms of prevalence, 1 in 5 children in Africa (19.6%) are in child labour, whilst
prevalence in other regions is between 3% and 7%: 2.9% in the Arab States (1 in 35
children); 4.1% in Europe and Central Asia (1 in 25); 5.3% in the Americas (1 in 19) and
7.4% in Asia and the Pacific region (1 in 14). · Almost half of all 73 million children who
are victims of child labour are aged 5-11 years.
● 42 million (28%) are 12-14 years old; and 37 million (24%) are 15-17 years old.
● Hazardous child labour is most prevalent among the 15-17 years old. Nevertheless, up to
a fourth of all hazardous child labour (19 million) is done by children less than 12 years
old.
● Among 152 million children in child labour, 88 million are boys and 64 million are girls.
● 58% of all children in child labour and 62% of all children in hazardous work are boys.
Boys appear to face a greater risk of child labour than girls, but this may also be a
reflection of an under-reporting of girls’ work, particularly in domestic child labour.
● Child labour is concentrated primarily in agriculture (71%), which includes fishing,
forestry, livestock herding and aquaculture, and comprises both subsistence and
commercial farming; 17% in Services; and 12% in the Industrial sector, including
mining.
Past Actions:
Timeline Incident Details
1930s Newsboys, messengers, bootblacks, and peddlers
were among the many jobs available to American
youngsters in mines, glass factories, textiles,
agriculture, canneries, and home industries, as
well as as newsboys, messengers, and
bootblacks. The number of child laborers in the
United States peaked in the early twentieth
century. As the labor and reform movements
flourished, and labor standards in general
improved, working people and other social
reformers gained more political clout, allowing
them to demand legislation restricting child labor.
The work of the National Child Labor Committee
to stop child labor was linked with efforts to give
all children with free, compulsory education,
culminating in the passing of the Fair Labor
Rules Act in 1938, which established federal
standards for child labor.
2000s - Present Now The number of children working has risen
to 160 million, the highest level in two decades,
and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic may
force this number to grow by millions more.
According to the findings of the survey, children
aged five to eleven years old now account for
more than half of the overall global figure. Since
2016, the number of children aged five to
seventeen who labor in hazardous or damaging
conditions to their health, safety, or morality has
increased by 6.5 million to 79 million. 70 percent
of working children, or 112 million, are
employed in agriculture. According to the
findings of the survey, children aged five to
eleven years old now account for more than half
of the overall global figure. Since 2016, the
number of children aged five to seventeen who
labor in hazardous or damaging conditions to
their health, safety, or morality has increased by
6.5 million to 79 million. 70 percent of working
children, or 112 million, are employed in
agriculture. UNICEF and the International
Labour Organization (ILO) have urged
governments and international financial
organizations to invest in programs that help
children return to school. In addition, the UN
agencies asked for comprehensive social
protection, such as universal child payments.
Key Issues:
1. CHILD LABOR AND CHILD MARRAIGE
In accordance with international law, child marriage and child labour both violate basic
human rights as well as deprive children of health, safety, and bodily integrity. It refers to child
marriage as a form of forced consortship where free will is not expressed, and as early marriage
where any one of the two partners is under 18 years of age. The international law prohibits three
types of labor; First, recruitment of children into armed conflict, prostitution, theft or other
forced illicit activities. Second, labor performed before the minimum age specified for that type
ofwork through thresholds as defined by national laws and international standards. Third,
dangerous work that hurts the physical, mental and moral well-being of the child. There is a
strong association between child labour and child marriage as it is defined as a subset or an
example of the other.
There are about 10% of the world's children working as child laborers, most of which are
exposed to the worst forms of labor. The number of children engaged in child labour has reduced
by 94 million in the last decade, but the rate of reduction has slowed by two-thirds in recent
years, which coincides with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that threatens to reverse years of
progress in solving the issue effectively. The same stands true for child marriages, a UNICEF
report suggested that in spite of the fact that 25 million cases of child marriages have been
circumvented in the last decade, this achievement is now in jeopardy due to the striking of the
pandemic. At the edge of risk, stand 10 million additional girls who will be forced into marriage
before the end of the decade.
Targeting the elimination of these practices at a global level, Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) set by the UN addressed them and through a regional action plan on child marriage and
child labour, one of the apex bodies of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) that consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka, The South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC),
articulated commitments to address these issues at the regional level. Despite the efforts, these
issues are fueled by the lack of law enforcement.
2. HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Human trafficking isdefined as the act of buying or selling humans illegally. Over here it has
been in the context of humans and hence it is an organized crime activity in which individuals
are forced into involuntary labor. It has various forms and occurs in many industries; Children
are used to beg on streets and serve as soldiers, many victims are obligated to work at
construction sites, factories, farms with insufficient wage or no wage at all, while others deceived
into organ removal, crimes, marriages and live in the fear of the ferocity that the exploiter
possesses in brutal and violent conditions. women, children and migrants are the most vulnerable
group even though people from all backgrounds can be subjected to this issue.The UN protocol
to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, 2000 is the world’s primary legal
instrument to combat the issue at hand. Countries that ratify this treaty would work towards
achieving the goal. At present, 178 countries are party to this protocol. Council of Europe’s
Convention on Action
against Trafficking in Human Beings, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966 are relevant steps taken to
avoid trafficking towards criminalizing human trafficking and also develop anti-traficking rules
and regulations.
The COVID-19 Pandemic acted as an accelerator for the same; when countries were in
lockdowns and closures due to protocols, exploiters had taken this to their advantage. In
particular, domestic migrant workers were identified as the main target where they were
restricted to households and exploited by the employers in inhumane environments.
People engage in human trafficking when deprivations of human rights are widespread. It
violates the fundamental rights of life, freedom, liberty and security. Its root causes may include
economic restlessness, poverty, armed conflict related insecurities and spread of violence and
terror. Violation of human rights is both a cause and consequence of Human trafficking. This is
due to the concern that most survivors who experience trauma are subject to detention,
prosecution, and deportation at the hand of the governments.
3. DEBT BONDAGE
Debt bondage, also referred to as bonded labor or forced labor, remains as one of the
most prevalent form of modern slavery in the world, and this happens despite being prohibited in
most national jurisdictions and international law as well. As per reports by the International
Labor Organization, forced labor generates 150 billion USD in illegal profits per year, which is
about three times more than what was estimated previously.
Migrants are most affected by debt bondage. Whether they be trafficked, discriminated
against, women and children from indigenous groups, or individuals from caste-affected
communities. They enter into debt bondage when they have nothing left to give in repayment of
debts beyond their physical labor. They often can't find any other alternative to the poverty, the
lack of economic options, illiteracy and discrimination they face, except to accept a loan or
advance from employers to meet their basic needs, in return for their work or the work of their
families. To repay the debts contracted or advances received, people in debt bondage often work
for no wage or for wages below the minimum wage even when the value associated with the
work done exceeds the amounts of their debts. As a result of illiteracy, debtors have no way of
keeping or verifying loan payments, and in most cases there are no written contracts at all.
In worst cases children inherit the debts of their parents, the whole family caught in a vicious
cycle as they work for days, months and years to pay off their debts without security because the
debts are manipulated by the exploiters. Violence, physical and psychological abuse, long
working hours are few instances of extreme situations and mistreatments they are subjected to.
To tackle this situation modern slavery appears in SDG Target number 8.7 stating “Take
immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human
trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour,
including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms”.
Past Actions:
Timeline Incident Details
1930s Newsboys, messengers, bootblacks, and peddlers
were among the many jobs available to American
youngsters in mines, glass factories, textiles,
agriculture, canneries, and home industries, as
well as as newsboys, messengers, and
bootblacks. The number of child laborers in the
United States peaked in the early twentieth
century. As the labor and reform movements
flourished, and labor standards in general
improved, working people and other social
reformers gained more political clout, allowing
them to demand legislation restricting child labor.
The work of the National Child Labor Committee
to stop child labor was linked with efforts to give
all children with free, compulsory education,
culminating in the passing of the Fair Labor
Rules Act in 1938, which established federal
standards for child labor.
2000s - Present Now The number of children working has risen
to 160 million, the highest level in two decades,
and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic may
force this number to grow by millions more.
According to the findings of the survey, children
aged five to eleven years old now account for
more than half of the overall global figure. Since
2016, the number of children aged five to
seventeen who labor in hazardous or damaging
conditions to their health, safety, or morality has
increased by 6.5 million to 79 million. 70 percent
of working children, or 112 million, are
employed in agriculture. According to the
findings of the survey, children aged five to
eleven years old now account for more than half
of the overall global figure. Since 2016, the
number of children aged five to seventeen who
labor in hazardous or damaging conditions to
their health, safety, or morality has increased by
6.5 million to 79 million. 70 percent of working
children, or 112 million, are employed in
agriculture. UNICEF and the International
Labour Organization (ILO) have urged
governments and international financial
organizations to invest in programs that help
children return to school. In addition, the UN
agencies asked for comprehensive social
protection, such as universal child payments.
Stakeholders:
1. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish
children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards
children. In the past, UNICEF together with UNFPA, launched the Global Programme to End
Child Marriage, providing life-skills training and school attendance support to more than 12
million adolescent girls around the world who were in union or risk of marriage. While UNODC
focuses on assisting countries to ratify and implement the UN protocol on trafficking in persons.
2. International Labor Organization (ILO)
According to every current worldwide estimate from the International Labor
Organization (ILO), there are at minimum 20.9 million victims of forced labor, human
trafficking, and slavery in the globe today. The ILO's policy sought to resolve both the core
causes of forced labor and the elements that enable unscrupulous employers to benefit from their
abuse. As a result, ending orced labor is a vital step in achieving the Millennium Development
Goals. The ILO's overall aim is a global decrease in forced labor and associated practices of at
least 30% by 2015, which translates to around 6 million fewer individuals compelled to work
against their own will. In order to fulfill these objectives, the ILO would need an annual budget
of 15 million US dollars.
3. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
SAARC is an intergovernmental organization for the development of economic and
regional integration. The South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC)
aims to take 13 strategic steps that will lead towards ending violence against children focussing
on five factors including child labour and child marraige. The governments of South Asia have
committed to the cause through ratification of the SAARC Convention on preventing and
Combating Trafficking in Women and Children. As part of coordinated regional response, To
implement the SAARC Convention effectively, the governments have also committed to
implementing a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).
4. Republic of India
The Census data indicates decreased incidence of child labour in India by 2.6 million between
2001 and 2011 in rural areas which made progress in one term. Anti-trafficking efforts,
especially
against bonded labor, remained ineffective. Fewer convictions were obtained, and the acquittal
rate for traffickers remained high at 73 percent.
The constitution of India has put forth that Debt bondage shall be abolished yet it continues to
flourish 72 years after its formation.It is practiced widely in the agricultural sector,for instance
the Jeeta system in Karnataka and the Halpati system in Gujarat used 'hereditary' labor
relationships to bind the working poor to landowners.This could be because laws weren’t
respected nor enforced properly. The Government of India needs to work towards strengthening
its enforcement.
5. Republic of France
France announced to the International Labour Organization (ILO)on 11 june 2021, its intention
to become a "pioneer country" when it comes to eliminating child and forced labour. The French
government adopted a National Plan to combat trafficking in persons in 2013 and amended the
Penal Code to criminalize, in addition to forced labour and trafficking in persons, the
enslavement of individuals and the subjection of vulnerable groups to working conditions that
are infringing on human dignity. It has very strict child-labour laws; without specific permits
from the government children are restricted from working because of fines attached to it. To
ensure proper functioning, kids apprenticeship programs are supervised, hours of work allowed
are constantly reviewed and exceptions are offered only in the entertainment industry.
6. Switzerland
The Government of Switzerland does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination
of trafficking. There have been reports of Lenient sentencing being present, as a result 60 percent
of traffickers received fully suspended fines or sentences. This has created security and safety
concerns. There has also been absence of legal safeguards, victims of human trafficking
continued to be exposed to prosecution under difficult situations.
Thousands of Children are forced into abusive work and used as cheap farm labourers even in
the 21st century. The government is making significant efforts to reduce such activities, but the
question arises as to why the results are negative.
Possible Solutions:
1. The causes and nature of child labour
The main causes which contribute to child labour include poverty and illiteracy of parents.
Furthermore, the family’s social and economic status, a lack of awareness about the injurious
effects of child labour, lack of access to basic, education and skills training, high rates of adult
unemployment and under-employment. Lastly, the cultural values of the family and society.
Children are often forced to work because of indebtedness while rural poverty and urban
migration also often exposes children to being trafficked for work.
The types of work identified by the ILO (International Labor Organization)
(a) work which exposes children to physical, psychological or sexual abuse;
(b) work underground, underwater, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces
(c) work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools, or which involves the manual handling
or transport of heavy loads;
(d) work in an unhealthy environment which may, for example, expose children to hazardous
substances, agents or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels, or vibrations damaging to their
health;
(e) work under particularly difficult conditions such as work for long hours or during the night or
work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises of the employer. ("Article 3 of
ILO Recommendation No. 190)
2. Challenges to ending child labour
There are several types of child labour and due to this complex nature of child labour, there
cannot be one strategy to eliminate it. Combatting child labour requires long term action which
involves individuals and the government. This includes educational institutions, mass media,
NGOs and community-based organizations with employers are also needed. It is important that
the mind-sets of people are changed to allow all children to go to school and have the chance to
learn, play and socialize as they should.
1. More Laws
2. Public Awareness
3. The eradication of unemployment
4. Elimination of poverty
Questions a Resolution Must Answer:
1. What changes can be made in the current national jurisdictions that will help for the cause?
2. How would the international community ensure that governments appropriately use their
funds to combat modern slave trade?
3. In what way could bonded labour be eradicated?
4. What can be an effective way for labourers exposed to such practices to report their cases?
5. Should a government provide rehabilitation to victims of the varying forms of modern
slavery?
6. To what extent does education of citizens play a role in resolving the issue?
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