NZ children working in third-world conditions, says report

11.30am


Children as young as 11 are being forced to work to support their families, according to a new survey which reveals Third World child labour conditions in New Zealand.

Catholic social service agency Caritas Aotearoa surveyed 4864 children, aged 10 to 17 years, from 69 Catholic schools and found cases of children working as late as 1am and children suffering cuts, burns, dog bites and broken bones at work.

Caritas research and advocacy officer Lisa Beech says the worst case reported was a 15-year-old who reported working 35 hours a week outside school time in a manufacturing job. The wages of less than $2 an hour were passed to the family.

"The student reported having no good experiences at work, and bad experiences included the heat of the factory, having no breaks and being beaten."

Labour Minister Margaret Wilson called last night for an immediate copy of Caritas' findings and said it was important examples of exploitation were reported to the Labour Department.

In other cases two children, one aged 11 and the other 12, reported working as cleaners in other people's homes for less than $2 an hour. Both handed the money to their families.

Despite laws banning children under 15 from pumping petrol, a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old worked as service station attendants.

Children aged 13, 14 and 15 said they worked serving and selling alcohol, despite the legal age being 18 years.

Children under 14 were also found to be working unsupervised as babysitters, children under 16 had jobs that involved access to guns and children as young as 12 drove tractors, diggers and forklifts.

Sixty-nine children aged under 16 said they worked after 10pm.

The survey found 40 per cent of the group worked, mainly in paid employment, and 45 per cent of those got less than $6.80 an hour ~ the minimum wage for 16 and 17-year-olds. There is no minimum wage for children under 16.

Ms Wilson's office said the minimum wage issue was not the over-riding factor. Children should also be protected under employment laws related specifically to children, health and safety provisions, child welfare and education legislation.

Ms Beech said those from lower decile schools and younger age groups were more likely to be working to supplement family incomes.

"Children are the most vulnerable group of workers in our society, and yet they have less protection than older workers.

"Many of the stories and comments received better fitted our stereotype of child labour in developing countries than our perception of children's employment in New Zealand," she said.

New Zealand ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993, but has not yet adopted a minimum age of employment.

The Government is in the process of assessing whether to adopt an International Labour Office convention on a minimum age of employment. Its assessment is expected to take two years.

- NZPA