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A'dam appoints first professor of child labour

Belgian Kristoffel Lieten says universal mandatory education, not terrorism, is the issue

BY CATRIEN SEITE

AMSTERDAM - Is the problem of world poverty ever going to be solved? Kristoffel Lieten , 56, lets out a deep sigh. 'That question should be posed to young people. I have only seen the gap between rich and poor getting bigger in the past 25 years.'

'Everybody is now busy with weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. Poverty doesn't seem to be an issue. But what we should be doing is encouraging universal mandatory education.'

Lieten , a Belgian, was recently appointed professor of child labour - the first in the world - at the University of Amsterdam.

The unusual academic chair was created by the international institute for social history IISG, which according to Lieten houses the world's best archives on labour issues.

'In recent years a lot of material has emerged about child labour, and that had to be archived by somebody with academic credentials, so I ended up doing it,' Lieten said.

He added, 'I became the first Belgian professor in child labour, because even though I live and work in Holland, I have remained Belgian.'

Child labour is a complicated problem without simple solutions.

'In the 1980s companies went to Third World countries because of cheap labour. However, these companies often didn't expect trade unions in those countries to make their demands. Thus, these businesses went one step lower and subcontracted the work to the home industry, where mum, dad and possibly the children work together. But this is difficult to supervise. Thus we no longer know whether we produce responsible products.'

He stresses that child labour varies widely. Some countries even have unions for child labourers. 'South America is a relatively developed region, but the gap between rich and poor is very big. Children have to do the most grisly work, including working in mines. In Africa, this doesn't happen as much. Roughly 40% of the children there work, but it's not always unhealthy work. However, these children don't go to school. In Vietnam, for example, all kids go to school and work in the evenings in the fields or in their parents' stores.'

One consistent phenomenon in child labour is the varying conditions between boys and girls. 'Boys are visible, but girls are often trapped in either traditional work at home, or in prostitution. These girls are the worst off.'

Lieten points out that there is also a big difference between child labour and working children. 'In the Netherlands, 13- or 14-year-old kids can also work, mostly to earn pocket money. Work can be positive, as long as it doesn't obstruct their moral, educational and physical development.'

Lieten shows a photo of a girl from India carrying a baby in her arms to illustrate his next point: 'This 13-year-old already has a baby. When she goes to work, we call that child labour.'

Another major problem in developing countries is that a lot of children have nothing to do: 'India has 10 million children who work, but also another 80 million who neither work nor go to school. They are often too poor to afford school, or belong to a lower caste and get marginalised by the teachers. If good schools and mandatory education existed, child labour would quickly vanish. There is a very close relationship between work and education.'

Lieten is also a historian, and is set to do research on the disappearance of child labour in the Netherlands. According to him, the country's child labour law in 1974 was not the main reason for the abolishment of child labour. 'A far more important push was that education became available to everybody. I come from a farming family, but I was able to attend the same school as children from different backgrounds.'

While the university is busy archiving publications and studies on child labour, businesses can also make their contributions, Lieten said.

'Companies must make sure that children don't get exploited in the production process, and we're always talking about unacceptable forms of child labour. The World Trade Organisation is also working on this. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that there should be general regulations regarding children, not just simply banning or boycotting matters.'

Lieten is particularly critical towards companies which say they combine work and education. 'This is like going back to the 19th century during the time of factory schools! The children who fall in these schemes do not get the same rights as others. '

He points to a study done in the slums of Bolivia's La Paz area. 'Child labourers there receive an hour and a half of schooling in the evenings. This is absolutely of no value, and yet companies use this as a shield, which is very dangerous. This is a way to wash one's hands of guilt.'

Lieten studied developmental sociology, and still benefits from it. 'I know a bit about poverty and what choices people make in their survival process. I spoke to a boy of 13 in India. He was harassed out of school because he came from a poor family. Then he worked in a factory where he received no pay, but this was a way for him to get a paid job in two years. For him, this was an investment for his future. The most inventive children in these situations end up going to work.'

Lieten stressed the importance of research. Companies may have good intentions, but often don't have the solutions. 'Businesses are very sensitive to three public indignities: environmental, human rights and child labour issues. In the 1990s companies made a lot of effort not to attract public attention on these matters. Nevertheless, this doesn't solve the problems,' Lieten said. 'First we have to see what the biggest problem is in child labour. In this overall discussion, my voice is just one of the many voices.'

The burden of large debts in developing countries plays a role in child labour and education. 'In the 1990s, Tanzania had compulsory education for all children starting at the age of seven. But due to the financial crisis, that has been limited. In 2000, a third of the children in rural areas were no longer going to school. This sort of policy is seen again and again in Third World countries.'

Western countries also have to be careful about this, he warned. 'In the past 25 years, around 50 countries have gotten into this situation. The gap with the West is widening. This leads to social unrest in these poor countries, which threatens Western countries' export markets. How can we break this vicious circle?'

It is still unclear what the best way is for Western countries to contribute to a solution, but one thing is for sure: they cannot just sit back and watch, says Lieten . 'We are not outsiders to this problem. If the world is a village, we also have to work on its social issues, starting with child labour. We want to be everywhere and preach to other people. We have to accept our responsibility.'

After concluding his education, Lieten lived in remote villages in India for a number of months. Since then, he has visited India and Pakistan dozens of times. Lieten describes the current situation with that of 25 years ago: 'I see the worst form of modernization. New Delhi has become one of the most polluted cities in the world, with eternal traffic jams. Some 10 percent of the population has access to modern Western amenities, 30% aspires to have them, and 60% live in conditions which are not much better than those of three decades ago. There is less hunger, but the difference between the upper and lower classes has become bigger.'

International Herald Tribune: 2/10/2003