Incidents of Child labor
EICC Chapter 2) Child Labor Avoidance
‘Child labor is not to be used in any stage of manufacturing. The term “child” refers to any
person employed under the age of 15 (or 14 where the law of the country permits), or under the
age for completing compulsory education, or under the minimum age for employment in the
country, whichever is greatest. The use of legitimate workplace apprenticeship programs, which
comply with all laws and regulations, is supported. Workers under the age of 18 should not
perform hazardous work and may be restricted from night work with consideration given to
educational needs.’
Child labor
In the world today, it is estimated that 218 million boys and girls work as child
laborers1
Even though the activities in the electronics sector -being higher up in the value
chain- are not suitable for children, incidentally young workers, not yet having
reached the legal age of employability are observed to be active in the
workplace.
1 ILO guide for employers on child labour guide one: introduction to the issue. The guide can be found on
www.ioe-emp.org/
When young workers below the minimum age of employability are active, Philips
expects Supplier to take immediately remedial action, taking into account the interests of
the children employed.
To that extent, Philips expects Supplier to follow the three H’s approach as set out in the
ILO guide for employers on child labor2:
-
a stop to underage Hiring
-
removing children from tasks where the risks from Hazards are high
-
reducing Hours to the legal level
A stop to underage Hiring:
Supplier is expected to immediately stop the hiring of children. In this regard, it is of
importance to improve age verification mechanisms.
Removing children from tas