Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)

Glossary of Terms

Basic Education

Basic education comprises both formal schooling (primary and sometimes lower secondary) as well as a wide variety of non-formal and informal public and private educational activities offered to meet the defined basic learning needs of groups of people of all ages.

Source:UNESCO, Education for All: Year 2000 Assessment: Glossary (Paris, 2001)[CD-ROM].

Bonded Labor

Bonded labor or debt bondage is “the status or condition arising from a pledge by a debtor of his personal services or those of a person under his control as security for a debt,” as defined in the UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery (1956).

Bonded labor typically occurs when a person needing a loan and having no security to offer, pledges his/her labor, or that of someone under his/her control, as a security for a loan. The interest on the loan may be so high that it cannot be paid, or the laborer may be deemed to repay the interest on the loan but not the capital. Thus, the loan is inherited and perpetuated, and becomes an inter-generational debt.

Bonded labor is identified as one of the worst forms of child labor in ILO Convention 182.

Source: By the Sweat and Toil of Children, Vol. I: The Use of Child Labor in U.S. Manufactured and Mined Imports (Washington, D.C.: USDOL, 1994), 18. See also ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor, 1999, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

Child Labor

The international definition of child labor is derived from ILO Convention 138, which states that child labor is any economic activity performed by a person under the age of 15. However, not all work is considered harmful to or exploitative of children. Child work can include performing light work after school, household chores, or legitimate apprenticeship programs. Therefore, for the purposes of this report, child labor is defined as work that prevents children from attending and participating effectively in school or is performed by children under hazardous conditions that place their healthy physical, intellectual or moral development at risk.

Source: By the Sweat and Toil of Children, Vol. I: The Use of Child Labor in U.S. Manufactured and Mined Imports (Washington, D.C.: USDOL, 1994), 1. See also Richard Anker, “The Economics of Child Labour: A Framework for Measurement,” International Labor Review (2000), 139, 257-280.

Commercial Farms

Commercial farms or are large-scale agricultural holdings that produce for largely commercial purposes. For the purposes of this report, the term commercial farms encompasses both farms and plantations, which are defined as agricultural holdings that produce commodities exclusively for export. Commercial farms generally pay workers by either the weight or the quantity of the product collected. To ensure that this minimal amount is met, or to maximize earnings, children may work alongside their parents, as part of a family unit. Children may also be hired as full-time wage-laborers, although they usually perform the same work as adult workers, but are paid one-half to one-third what is paid to adults doing comparable work. Workdays are extremely long, and safety and health risks include exposure to dangerous chemical fertilizers or pesticides, poisonous insects or reptiles, and unsafe hygienic conditions and drinking water.

ILO Convention 138 prohibits the use of child labor on “plantation and other agricultural undertakings mainly producing for commercial purposes, but excluding family and small-scale holdings producing for local consumption and not regularly employing hired workers.” The line between “commercial” agriculture and “production for local consumption” is frequently blurred, and sometimes requires difficult judgment calls.

Source: By the Sweat and Toil of Children, Vol. II: The Use of Child Labor in U.S. Agricultural Imports and Forced and Bonded Child Labor (Washington, D.C.: USDOL, 1995), 2-4, 10.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is the inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity; the exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices; or the exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials.

The exact nature of the exploitation differs from one country to another. CSEC includes so-called “sex tourism” in which adults procure the services of children for prostitution or pornography; the exploitation of children by pimps or other criminal elements who offer “protection” to children (often children living on the streets) in return for their work in the sex trade; trafficking of children across borders to fuel prostitution or pedophilia rings; or the use of domestic servants, refugee children, or child soldiers for sexual purposes.

ILO Convention 182 prohibits the sale and trafficking of children, and the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography, or for pornographic performances.

Source: CSEC Overview, World Congress Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, August 27-31, 1666, U.S. Embassy-Stockholm, at http://www.usemb.se/children/csec/overview.html. See also UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 34, at http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm,and ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor, 1999, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

Compulsory Education

Compulsory education refers to the number of years or the age-span during which children and youth are legally obliged to attend school.

Source: UNESCO, Education for All: Year 2000 Assessment: Glossary (Paris, 2001) [CD-ROM].

Domestic Servants

Domestic servants, also referred to as domestic workers or child domestics, are children who work in other people’s households doing domestic chores, caring for children, and running errands, among other tasks. Child domestics sometimes have live-in arrangements, whereby they live in their employer’s household and work full time in exchange for room, board, care, and sometimes remuneration.

Source: “Child Domestic Work,” Innocenti Digest 5 (Florence: UNICEF, 1999), 2.

Forced Labor

Forced labor is defined in ILO Convention No. 29 as “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.” In practice, it is the enslavement of workers through the threat or use of coercion, and it is primarily found among the most economically vulnerable members of society.

Forced and compulsory labor is identified as one of the worst forms of child labor in ILO Conv

Source: ILO Convention No. 29: Forced Labor, 1930, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm. See also By the Sweat and Toil of Children, Vol. II: The Use of Child Labor in U.S. Agricultural Imports and Forced and Bonded Child Labor (Washington, D.C.: USDOL, 1995), 4. See also ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor, 1999, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

Gross Primary Attendance Ratio

The gross primary attendance ratio is the total number of students attending primary school (regardless of age) expressed as a percentage of the official primary school-age population. It indicates the general level of participation in primary schooling by people of any age, and in comparison with the net primary attendance ratio, indicates the extent of over- and under-age participation in primary schooling. In countries with high primary school attendance rates, if there are significant numbers of overage (or underage) students in primary school, the gross primary attendance ratio can exceed 100.

Source: “UNESCO Indicator Definitions for GED Online,” USAID Web Site, at http://quesdb.cdie.org/ged/un_def.html.

Gross Primary Enrollment Ratio

The gross primary enrollment ratio is the enrollment of primary students of all ages expressed as a percentage of the primary school-age population. The gross primary enrollment ratio describes the capacity of a school system in relation to the size of the official school-age population. For example, a ratio of 100 percent indicates that the number of children actually enrolled, including those outside the official age range, is equivalent to the size of the official primary school-age population. It does not mean that all children of official primary school age are actually enrolled. If the ratio was so misinterpreted, it would overstate the actual enrollment picture in those countries in which a sizable proportion of students are younger or older than the official age owing to early or delayed entry or to repetition. In many countries, the official primary school-age group is 6-11 years. The differences in national systems of education and duration of schooling should be considered when comparing the ratios.

Source: “UNESCO Indicator Definitions for GED Online,” USAID Web Site, at http://quesdb.cdie.org/ged/un_def.html.

Hazardous work

Hazardous work refers to work that is likely to jeopardize the health, safety, or morals of a young person. This is consistent with ILO Convention 138, which states that “the minimum age for any type of employment or work which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out is likely to jeopardize the health, safety, or morals of young persons shall not be less than 18 years.” Hazardous work is identified as a worst form of child labor in ILO Convention 182.

Source: ILO Convention No. 138: Minimum Age for Employment, 1973, Article 3, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.See also ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor, 1999, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

ILO Convention No. 138: Minimum Age for Admission to Employment

ILO Convention 138 serves as the principal standard on child labor. This convention, passed in 1973 and ratified by 116 nations, defines the term "child labor" as any economic activity performed by a person under the age of 15. Signatories of the Convention are required to set a minimum work age standard of 15 years, although exemptions are included which permit countries whose economy and educational facilities are insufficiently developed to initially specify a minimum age of 14 years.

Source: “About Child Labor,” USDOL, ICLP, at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/iclp/projects.htm. Ratifications are as of January 25, 2002. See also ILO Convention No. 138: Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, 1973, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor

ILO Convention 182 was passed in 1999 and had been ratified by 122 nations. It commits ratifying nations to take immediate action to secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor, defined as:

all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labor, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;
the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties;
work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

Among other actions, ILO Convention 182 requires ratifying nations to: remove children from abusive child labor and provide them with rehabilitation, social reintegration, access to free basic education and vocational training; consult with employer and worker organizations to create appropriate mechanisms to monitor implementation of the Convention; apply the Convention to children under the age of 18; take into account the special vulnerability of girls; and provide assistance and/or cooperate with efforts of other members to implement the Convention.

Source: ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor, 1999, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm. See also “About Child Labor,” USDOL, ICLP, at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/iclp/projects.htm. Ratifications are as of January 25, 2002.

Informal sector

The informal sector refers to areas of economic activity that are largely unregulated and not subject to labor legislation. A more precise description of the informal sector by the ILO suggests “these units typically operate at a low level of organization, with little or no division between labor and capital as factors of production and on a small scale.” Furthermore, where labor relations exist, interactions are not based on contracts or formal arrangements; rather they are grounded on casual employment, kinship, and personal or social relations. Because employers in the informal sector are not accountable for complying with occupational safety measures, children who work in “hazardous” or “ultra-hazardous” settings likely run the risk of injury without any social protections. For this reason, households may be reluctant to indicate work by children in the informal sector, which can increase the probability of underreporting. In addition, because businesses in the informal sector are not usually included in official statistics, children working in informal sector enterprises do not show up in labor force activity rates.

Source: “Informal Sector: Who are they?” ILO Web site at www.ilo.org/public/English/employment/skills/informal/who.htm. See also ILO, 15^th International Conference of Labor Statisticians (Geneva, Switzerland, January 19-28, 1993) and By the Sweat and Toil of Children, Vol. I: The Use of Child Labor in U.S.Manufactured and Mined Imports (Washington, D.C.: USDOL, 1994), 2.

IPEC: International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor

In 1992, the ILO created IPEC to implement technical cooperation activities in countries with significant numbers of child laborers. The objective of the IPEC program is the elimination of child labor, particularly children working under forced labor conditions and in bondage, children in hazardous working conditions and occupations, and especially vulnerable children, such as working girls and very young working children (under 12 years of age).

Countries participating in IPEC sign an MOU outlining the development and implementation of IPEC activities and the efforts to be undertaken by governments to progressively eradicate child labor. IPEC National Program Steering Committees are then established with participation of governments, industry and labor representatives, and experienced NGOs. IPEC provides technical assistance to governments, but most of the direct action programs are carried out by local NGOs and workers’ and employers’ organizations. IPEC activities include awareness-raising about child labor problems; capacity building for government agencies and statistical organizations; advice and support for direct action projects to withdraw working children from the workplace; and assistance to governments in drawing up national policies and legislation.

Between fiscal years 1995 and 2001, the U.S. Congress has appropriated over USD 112 million for child labor activities, including support of IPEC programs.

Source: By the Sweat and Toil of Children, Vol. V: Efforts to Eliminate Child Labor (Washington, D.C.: USDOL, 1998), 4. See also “Child Labor Projects,” USDOL, ICLP, at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/iclp/projects.htm.

Light Work

Light work is defined in ILO Convention 138 as work that is not likely to harm the health or development of young persons, and not such as to prejudice their attendance at school, their participation in vocational orientation or training programs approved by the competent authority or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received.

Source: ILO Convention No. 138: Minimum Age for Employment, 1973, Article 3, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

Net Primary Attendance Ratio

The net primary attendance ratio is the percentage of the official primary school age population that attends primary school. This indicator shows the extent of participation in primary schooling among children of primary school age.

Source: “UNESCO Indicator Definitions for GED Online,” USAID, at http://quesdb.cdie.org/ged/un_def.html.

Net Primary Enrollment Ratio

The net primary enrollment ratio is the enrollment of primary students of the official age expressed as a percentage of the primary school-age population. A high net primary enrollment ratio denotes a high degree of participation of the official school-age population. When compared with the gross primary enrollment ratio, the difference between the two ratios highlights the incidence of under-aged and over-aged enrollment. In many countries the official primary school age group is 6-11 years. The difference in national systems of education should be accounted for when comparing rati

Source: “UNESCO Indicator Definitions for GED Online,” USAID at http://quesdb.cdie.org/ged/un_def.html.

Primary Education

Primary education, sometimes called elementary education, refers to school usually beginning at 5 or 7 years of age and covering about six years of full-time schooling. In countries with compulsory education laws, primary education generally constitutes the first (and sometimes only) cycle of compulsory education.

Source: UNESCO Education for All: Year 2000 Assessment: Glossary (Paris, 2001) CD-Rom.

Promotion Rate

The promotion rate is the percentage of pupils promoted to the next grade in the following school year. Some countries practice automatic promotion, meaning that all pupils are promoted, regardless of their scholastic achievement.

Source: UNESCO Education for All: Year 2000 Assessment: Glossary (Paris, 2001) [CD-ROM].

Ratification

Ratification is a solemn undertaking by a State formally accepting the terms of an international Convention, thereby becoming legally bound to apply it. In order to ratify a Convention, a country must, if necessary, adopt new laws and regulations or modify the existing legislation and practice to support the Convention, and formally deposit the instruments of ratification with the appropriate international body. (In the case of ILO Conventions, ratifications must be registered with the Director-General of the ILO’s International Labor Office.)

Signing a convention or passing a convention in Congress, or a similar state organ, does not mean that the convention has been ratified. Signing a convention serves as a preliminary endorsement, albeit a formality, as signatories are not bound by the terms of the Convention or in any way committed to proceed to the final step of ratification. Similarly, appropriate state organs (such as Parliament, the Senate, or the Head of State) may sign or pass a convention, but that is only one of two requisite steps on the path toward official ratification. The final step requires that the instruments of ratification be deposited with the appropriate international body.

Source: “Glossary of Terms Related to International Labour Standards,” ILO International Labour Standards, at 222.ilo.org/public/English/standards/norm/sources/glossry.htm. See also The Process: From Signature to Ratification, Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF, at http://www.unicef.org/crc/process.htm. See also ILO Convention No. 138: Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, Article 11, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm, and ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor, Article 9, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

Retention Rate

The repetition rate is the percentage of pupils who enroll in the same grade the following school year, as in the current school year.

Source: UNESCO, Education for All: Year 2000 Assessment: Glossary (Paris, 2001) [CD-ROM].

Time-Bound Program

Time-Bound Programs are implemented through ILO-IPEC and aim to prevent and eliminate all incidences of the worst forms of child labor within a defined period. The objective is to eradicate these forms of child labor within a period of 5-10 years, depending on the magnitude and complexity of child labor in each country.

Source: Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour: An Integrated and Time-Bound Approach, A Guide for Governments, Employers, Workers, Donors, and other Stakeholders (Geneva: ILO-IPEC, April 2001), 3.

Trafficking of Children

At its most basic, the trafficking of children can be defined as a series of events that includes acquiring the children, moving them and exploiting them. In the context of CSEC, the exploitation is taken to mean in commercial sex, although it is recognized that children trafficked into exploitative labor, for example into begging, sweatshops, industry or agriculture, are also at risk of then being sold into sex.

The acquisition and transport may involve force, persuasion, coercion, trickery, the administration of drugs, family and other complicity, or may be on the initiative of the child him/herself. The transport may be by road, air, rail or sea and be cross-border or within a country, for example from rural community to urban area. The exploitation may involve labor or commercial sex, and may involve financial transactions or other rewards for the exploiter (for example elevated status within para-military hierarchies for militia who provide children for the service of their superiors).

Trafficking of children is identified as a worst form of child labor in ILO Convention 182.

Source: Press Kit Background Paper One: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, an Update, 2^nd World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, Yokohama, Japan, December 17-20, 2001, at http://www.focalpointngo.org/yokohama/presskit/backgound1.htm. See also ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor, 1999, at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/english/convdisp2.htm.

Worst Forms of Child Labor

See section “ILO Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labor.”