GCSE Geography Theme 7.2.1

Challenges Facing Social Development in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Child Labour

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that there are $168$ million child laborers globally.
• This figure has decreased from $246$ million in the year $2000$.
• Education is crucial for a country's economic growth.

Causes of Child Labour:

• Poverty
• Unaffordable schooling
• Family expectation for children to earn money

Types of Work Performed by Child Labourers:

• Farm work
• Factory work
• Informal jobs: litter picking, street vending, cleaning shoes
• Hazardous jobs: mining, manual work, operating heavy machinery, child soldiers

Issues with Child Labour:

• Unregulated; not monitored by law
• Long hours in dangerous conditions

Tackling Child Labour:

• Figures are not exact, so there may be more than the estimated $168$ million child laborers.
• Globally, child labour numbers are falling and are predicted to continue dropping as countries develop and children gain access to education.
• Child labour cannot be made illegal unless national governments choose to do so.

ILO's Advice to Governments to Reduce Child Labour:

• Invest in education for all.
• Improve social security to provide government support to families in poverty.
• Promote equality between boys’ and girls’ education.

Supporting the Education of Girls

• One of the aims of the Millennium Development Goals ($2000$–$2015$) was to reduce the number of children missing education by $50\%$.
• Significant progress was made towards the goal; however, the majority of children missing education were girls.

Why Girls’ Education Matters:

• In countries such as India, where more women are uneducated than men, there can be consequences for social development.
• Children of uneducated mothers are twice as likely to die due to lack of parental awareness of healthcare, sanitation, and poverty.
• Educated women marry later and have fewer children, reducing the risk of poverty, which would make the family unable to look after their children.
• Education empowers women, giving them improved status in life and greater opportunities.

Sustainable Development Goals ($2015$–$2030$):

• Quality education (goal $4$) and gender equality (goal $5$) are high priorities to ensure improved social development.