Say Yes, Summer 2007: Child labour on the decline

Long–awaited figures have confimed that child labour is declining, especially in rural areas. Even so, 320,000 6–14 year–olds are engaged in economic activities.

Figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat) in April indicate that 958,000 children aged between 6 and 17 were engaged in some form of economic activity in 2006 — some 5.9% of the total number of children in this age group. Among children aged 6–14, 320,000, or 2.6%, were engaged in economic activity. 124,000 of these were not attending school.

The first survey on child labour for seven years shows that longer years of schooling and the declining importance of agriculture as a source of employment have caused a marked reduction in child labour. In rural areas, child labour declined by over 50% between 1999 and 2006.

Urban concern

The total number of children engaged in economic activity in urban areas fell only from 478,000 in 1999 to 457,000 in 2006. Among children aged 6–14, there was actually an increase, from 109,000 to 116,000. The numbers rose for both girls and boys.

Of the total number of working children in 2006, 392,000 children were engaged in agriculture, 271,000 in industry and 294,000 in trade and other services. Just under half of the children concerned worked as unpaid labourers on family farms, in family shops or in other family businesses. Over half earned wages. A few ran micro–businesses of their own.

Household chores

The above figures do not include children who take responsibility for domestic tasks such as cooking, washing, cleaning, shopping and the care of younger siblings. According to the 2006 survey, 53% of all girls and 33% of all boys aged 6–17 carried out household chores — higher than the figures recorded in 1999. As girls grow older they are more and more likely to find themselves doing housework. Nearly three–quarters of all girls aged 15–17 perform domestic chores, both in urban and rural areas.

Statistics on child labour are published with the support of the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour, an initiative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Table 1: Children in work (6–14 years)

	1999		2006
Category	Thousands	% of cohort	Thousands	% of cohort
Source: Turkstat
Total	609	5.1	320	2.6
Urban	109	1.6	116	1.5
Rural	500	9.6	205	4.1
Girls	269	4.6	113	1.8
Urban	28	0.8	31	0.8
Rural	241	9.5	82	3.3
Boys	340	5.6	207	3.3
Urban	81	2.4	85	2.2
Rural	259	9.7	123	2.2

Table 2: Children in work (15–17 years)

	1999		2006
Category	Thousands	% of cohort	Thousands	% of cohort
Source: Turkstat
Total	1,021	26.3	638	16.9
Urban	369	16.2	341	14.2
Rural	652	40.7	297	21.4
Girls	406	21.2	213	11.3
Urban	88	8.1	89	7.9
Rural	318	38.1	124	16.6
Boys	615	31.3	425	22.3
Urban	281	23.4	252	19.9
Rural	334	43.5	173	27.1

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