Regarding the reality of child labor

The recurring theme is how to create conditions for children to play, study, and live according to their age, with innocent dreams, instead of burdening them with the struggle of life too early. However, it seems that few places have been able to achieve this.

Discrepancy between data and reality

Summer is the busiest time for seafood processing facilities, including shrimp and fish filleting, in the coastal communes of Dien Chau district. In Dien Ngoc commune, which annually supplies 3,000-5,000 tons of processed seafood to the market, according to the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee, Nguyen Van Dung, no family is so destitute that they force children under 15 to work to make ends meet. However, during the summer or on weekends when they don't have school, many middle school students seek part-time work at shrimp and fish filleting facilities to earn money for personal expenses.

The main work at these facilities involves briefly steaming shrimp, peeling them, and drying them. The peeled shrimp shells are collected and weighed to determine payment, with workers receiving around 10,000 VND per kilogram. If diligent, each person can earn several hundred thousand VND a day. “Work like peeling shrimp, scraping fish scales, and filleting isn't strenuous and offers attractive income, so children take advantage of summer break to work part-time before the new school year starts,” Mr. Dung added. For the locals, their children working part-time at seafood processing facilities is normal, even encouraged, because “during peak season, adults work non-stop and don't have time to supervise, so it's better for children to work a little extra than to go swimming in dangerous rivers or seas, or play video games and engage in unhealthy activities,” as shared by Ms. Dau Thi Men, a resident of Dien Ngoc.

In the mountainous region of Muong Ngoc commune (Que Phong district), in recent years, during the lychee season, many students on summer vacation have been hired to pick lychees. Some students, as young as 10 years old, have been doing this work for 2-3 seasons. Harvesting lychees usually takes 2-3 hours; the students need to climb ladders to pick the fruit and bundle it into bunches. They are paid 8,000 VND per kilogram. The income is meager, and there's a risk of injury if they fall, but this remains an ideal summer job for students in mountainous areas with difficult living conditions. According to Ms. Le Thi Nguyet, Head of the Department of Child Protection, Care and Gender Equality, Nghe An Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, juvenile labor in mountainous areas stems from difficult circumstances and limited parental awareness. Furthermore, traditional cultural factors also contribute to the fact that children in mountainous areas have to work to help their families at a young age.

"There are no statistics on child labor" is the answer given by many specialized departments in localities regarding this issue, because they believe that child labor must be children under 15 years old participating in strenuous, regular labor for economic purposes... However, according to Circular 11/2013/TT-BLDTBXH dated June 11, 2013, which promulgates the list of light work that can be performed by people under 15 years old, the examples of children in Nghe An mentioned above do not fall under that list (!?). While it is true that children need to be educated about the awareness and value of labor, at an age where "knowing how to eat, sleep, and study is being well-behaved," labor, if it occurs, should be light work, suitable for their physical and mental abilities, and carried out under the support and supervision of adults.

A more decisive approach is needed.

In fact, it should be noted that in recent years, the issue of child labor in the province has received considerable attention, with quite effective measures in some localities. For example, in Quynh Thach commune (Quynh Luu district), before 2018, there was still a situation where junior high school students participated in labor and loading/unloading at brick-making yards. Especially in the summer, when they were not in school, a large number of students would gather at the "labor market," waiting for trucks to arrive at the brick-making yard to receive work loading and unloading bricks. Each truck carrying bricks required about 6-10 people to load, and they were paid 120-150 thousand VND per truck. Following media reports, the authorities intervened, directing the locality to rectify the situation, and it has now improved.

Ms. Le Thi Nguyet added that as soon as cases violating current regulations were discovered, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs issued a directive to districts and towns to put an end to the use of child labor. In addition, the Department collaborated with local authorities to organize training, propaganda, and instill the right mindset in each business unit and family. Quynh Luu is one of the localities that has effectively applied measures to reduce child labor. In 2018, after receiving information about children working unloading shellfish at production facilities in Quynh Thach, the district implemented the "Support and Intervention Model to Reduce Child Labor." The commune also established a working group to conduct regular, surprise inspections of 19 shellfish production facilities in the area to encourage and remind them about labor safety. As a result, in 2019, Quynh Thach basically prevented child labor.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh, owner of three shellfish processing facilities in Quynh Thach commune, who had previously violated regulations and been reprimanded for allowing children to participate in loading and unloading shellfish, said: “After numerous reminders and corrections from the authorities, the presence of child labor at the shellfish yards has almost disappeared. However, completely ending the use of children for loading and unloading shellfish remains difficult, depending on family management and the awareness of the children themselves. Some students still ride their bicycles along the road, stopping to help whenever they see loading and unloading work at a shellfish yard, mainly those from neighboring communes. Since the facility owners are not present at the yard regularly, managing the freelance loaders is also difficult.”

Child labor poses many safety risks, especially for children in disadvantaged areas who lack adequate accident prevention skills. Jobs like loading and unloading seafood, while not considered overly strenuous, can still have a significant impact on the physical development of schoolchildren if performed for extended periods. Furthermore, many production facilities lack adequate personal protective equipment, potentially leading to unforeseen accidents.

Despite the involvement of various sectors and localities, the effort to reduce child labor clearly faces many difficulties, primarily stemming from limited parental awareness and challenging circumstances in some mountainous and coastal districts. Furthermore, broader measures are needed to educate children about their rights and responsibilities, as well as provide them with proper guidance for their future. To achieve this, the most essential element is the collaboration of families, schools, and local authorities.

Children's development has almost exclusively focused on physical aspects, neglecting activities that protect and nurture their emotional well-being. The age range of 9-15 is crucial for individuals to form and nurture their dreams and develop their personalities. Who they become, what ideals they pursue, and how they live and contribute depends heavily on their emotional development during adolescence. Therefore, creating a healthy learning, playing, and living environment for students is of paramount importance. They need to experience life in age-appropriate environments instead of working part-time in dusty brick kilns or hot shrimp processing factories.