Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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Removing the child labour hurdle

By Mona El Fiqi

A textiles shipment from Egypt worth US$13 million recently languished in US customs for two weeks until certification was provided affirming that child labour was not used to manufacture the items being exported.

For the Kamal El-Samouli Company of Al-Mahalla Al-Kubra, the story did not end there. Once it had obtained the necessary documentation from the Ministry of Manpower and Immigration, El-Samouli premises were visited by an American committee on a mission to verify that no children under the age of 14 were working there.

El-Samouli is just one of many Egyptian exporters whose products were denied entry by the importing country because they lacked documentation affirming compliance with international agreements regarding child labour.

Egypt, like other World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, is required to certify that child labour was not used in the production of its exports. It is obligated to provide such documents not only as a member of the WTO, but also as one of the 81 countries signatory to the 1989 Child Labour Protection Agreement.

Countries party to this agreement affirm that no one under the age of 14 should work. Until 1996, child labour in Egypt was governed by the labour law which permitted children to work at the age of 12. The inconsistency between the Child Labour Protection Agreement and Egyptian legislation was rectified with the enactment of a law specifically concerning child labour in 1996. This stipulated that no one under the age of 15 is allowed to work.

In spite of legislation, the practice of employing children has continued. To increase awareness of the importance of applying the law and its impact on Egyptian exports, the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) recently held a seminar on this issue.

Addressing the seminar, Ahmed El-Bora'i, head of the social legislation department of the Cairo University's Faculty of Law, explained that adherence to Egypt's child labour law is in the best interests of exporters. Emphasising this point, he suggested that if exporters fail to certify that goods were produced in accordance with WTO rules, this organisation might take punitive measures against Egypt such as increasing tariffs or imposing quotas on the import of its goods.

El-Bora'i suggested that the government, the FEI and the Federation of Egyptian Syndicates work together on measures to ensure that manufacturers comply with WTO rules. Stringent application of the child labour law is the only solution to the current problem, he suggested.

Although the Egyptian government does not have figures for child labour, estimates suggest that approximately one million children in the country are employed. This phenomenon is attributed to the high incidence of poverty; with 40 per cent of the population living under the poverty line, each family earning approximately US$1,000 annually.

Abdel-Qader El-Asser, a counsellor for international cooperation at the Ministry of Manpower and Immigration, said that the minister himself heads a committee to monitor the application of the child labour law. El-Asser noted that even when children work in Egypt, they tend to do so in environments less hazardous than those in which children in other developing countries are employed. Asserting that the best solution to this problem is one of prevention, he recommended that children be encouraged to stay in school, completing primary level studies, at the very least. El-Asser also suggested that work places be inspected.

The International Labour Organisation estimates that 250 million children are employed worldwide.

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