Ending Child Labor: A Role for International Human Rights Law (with Meron Makonnen)

Abstract

All over the world, children are weaving carpets, cutting and polishing precious stones, assembling shoes, cutting and sewing garments, mining for diamonds, gold, silver, and tin, cutting sugar cane, harvesting fruit, coffee, and other crops, manufacturing toys, sporting goods and appliances, and working as domestic servants, street vendors, herders, migrant workers, and prostitutes. These children often work long hours with dangerous tools and machines and are exposed to hazardous chemicals, polluted air, and infectious diseases. They are denied the education that is their right and deprived of prospects for even minimally prosperous and healthy lives. The economic exploitation of children has generated an expanding set of international legal standards designed to protect children from the harmful and dangerous effects of child labor. These standards, although well established, have suffered from many of the same practical weaknesses that have limited the effectiveness of international human rights law generally. This dilemma - strong legal norms but weak enforcement mechanisms - has contributed to a recent rise in private action to prevent child labor. These private initiatives utilize the standards embedded in international law and may, in turn, contribute to an evolution that will ultimately transform principles into effective, enforceable, legal norms.