The article analyses the labour law aspects of child labour in the information age. It presents in detail the specific features related to the regulation of child labour and the possibilities of applying labour law legislation particularly to the work of children under the age of 15, pupils and students. Three sections are discussed: the normative regulation of child labour, the specific features of performing light work by children, the special protection provisions that apply to child labour, and the specific features related to digital child labour, which is emerging as a new form of work. The basic hypothesis in the article is that when defining child labour and the emergence of new forms of work, such as the work of information child influencers, it is necessary to regulate this appropriately in a way that takes into account the specific features of the situation of children who perform such work so that such work does not harm their safety, health, morality, education and development.
Nowadays we perceive child labour as a shameful torture and a wicked destruction of the natural order of things. After all, childhood is a time for carelessness, fun and schooling, and children are innocent and vulnerable. Nowadays people believe that these are primeval and natural rights, which is not true. There used to be two models of child labour which I present in my paper. Domestic work in the countryside and in cities, characteristic of the feudal economy at the time when a workplace and a place of residence were the same place (this is still the case in the countryside nowadays), and work outside home, for example in a factory, characteristic of the capitalist economy. There were also varied mixed forms. Thus, in the pre-modern period, rural children were already given to work on a lord’s farm, to a rich farmer, or to serve in a city. Similarly, in modern times, children worked at home in domestic industries. The extensive use of child labour was first made possible by the lack of compulsory schooling, which in turn later prevented regular child labour. As long as there was an economic need, however, school had to give way to earning a living for one’s family.
Abstract We explore the relationship between the internationalisation of production through Global Value Chains and child labour at the sector level, using data from 26 low‐ and middle‐income countries. We find that sectors with stronger participation in foreign markets by exporting inputs to firms that will process them and export them to third countries (forward linkages) exhibit less child labour. However, other forms of participation in foreign markets through gross exports or exports of goods that embed foreign value‐added (backward linkages) are not associated with lower levels of child labour.
Globally, over 200 million women and girls have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This practice, illegal in most countries, often happens in unsanitary conditions and without clinical supervision with consequent bleeding and infection. However, little is known about its contribution to the global epidemiology of child mortality. We matched data on the proportion of girls of a given age group subject to FGM to age-gender-year specific mortality rates during 1990-2020 in 15 countries where FGM is practised. We used fixed-effects regressions to separate the effect of FGM on mortality-rates from variation in mortality in that country in that year. Using our estimated effect, we calculated total annual excess mortality due to FGM. Our estimates imply that a 50% increase in the number of girls subject to FGM increases their 5-year mortality rate by 0.075 percentage point (95% CI [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]). This increased mortality rate translates into an estimated 44,320 excess deaths per year across countries where FGM is practised. These estimates imply that FGM is a leading cause of the death of girls and young women in those countries where it is practised accounting for more deaths than any cause other than Enteric Infections, Respiratory Infections, or Malaria.
Arpita Ghosh, Heather D. Flowe, James Charles Rockey
Abstract The ‘global prohibition regime’ against ‘female genital mutilation’ (FGM) remains understudied within criminology. Zemiology, with its raison d’être to locate the source and nature of harm, opens up analytical potential. Bringing zemiology together with decolonial feminist approaches for the first time, we analyse data from focus group interviews with people of Somali heritage living in Bristol, England, to consider the unacknowledged harms created by anti-FGM legal and policy developments in the UK context. We argue that the racialized criminalization of ‘FGM’ gives rise to considerable harm: in particular, harms of misrecognition, autonomy and psychological well-being. We conclude by considering the wider relevance of our findings to debates on state responses to violence against women and girls.
Christina Pantazis, Natasha Carver, Saffron Karlsen et al.
Purpose: We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the health consequences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), with a particular focus on the psychosexual implications of this practice and the overall impact of reconstructive plastic surgery. Methods: A MEDLINE search through PubMed was performed to identify the best quality evidence published studies in English language on long-term health consequences of FGM/C. Results: Women with FGM/C are more likely to develop psychological disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, somatization, phobia, and low self-esteem, than those without FGM/C. Most studies showed impaired sexual function in women with FGM/C. In particular, women with FGM/C may be physiologically less capable of becoming sexually stimulated than uncut women. Reconstructive surgery could be beneficial, in terms of both enhanced sexual function and body image. However, prospective studies on the impact of reconstructive surgery are limited, and safety issues should be addressed. Conclusion: Although it is clear that FGM/C can cause devastating immediate and long-term health consequences for girls and women, high-quality data on these issues are limited. Psychosexual complications need to be further analyzed to provide evidence-based guidelines and to improve the health care of women and girls with FGM/C. The best treatment approach involves a multidisciplinary team to deal with the multifaceted FGM/C repercussions.
Laura Buggio, Federica Facchin, Laura Chiappa et al.
INTRODUCTION: The impact of female genital mutilation/cutting on obstetric outcomes in high-income countries is not clear. In general, women with female genital mutilation/cutting type 3 (infibulation) seem to be most at risk of adverse outcomes such as cesarean section. Deinfibulation is recommended to prevent obstetric complications. Whether the timing of this procedure affects the complication risk is not known. The aims of this study were, first, to examine the association between female genital mutilation/cutting and the risk of cesarean section in Norway, and, second, whether the timing of deinfibulation affected the cesarean section risk. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a historical cohort study of nulliparous Somali-born women who gave birth in Norway between 1990 and 2014. The Medical Birth Registry of Norway identified the women. Data were collected from medical records at 11 participating birth units. The exposures were female genital mutilation/cutting status and deinfibulation before pregnancy, during pregnancy, or no deinfibulation before labor onset. The main outcome was odds ratio (OR) of cesarean section. Type of cesarean section, primary indications, and neonatal outcomes were secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Women with female genital mutilation/cutting type 3 had lower risk of cesarean section compared with women with no female genital mutilation/cutting (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.33-0.89 P = .02). Among the 1504 included women, the cesarean section rate was 28.0% and the proportion of emergency operations was 92.9%. Fetal distress was the primary indication in approximately 50% of cases, across the groups with different female genital mutilation/cutting status. Women who had no deinfibulation before labor onset had lower risk of cesarean section compared with those who underwent deinfibulation before or during pregnancy (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.46-0.88 P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: High risk of cesarean section in Somali nulliparous women was not related to the type of female genital mutilation/cutting in the present study. Deinfibulation before labor did not protect against cesarean section. Our findings indicate that nulliparous Somali women are at high risk of intrapartum complications. Future research should focus on measures to reduce maternal morbidity and on how timing of deinfibulation affects the outcomes of vaginal births.
OBJECTIVES: Describe cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) presenting to consultant paediatricians and sexual assault referral centres (SARCs), including demographics, medical symptoms, examination findings and outcome. DESIGN: The well-established epidemiological surveillance study performed through the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit included FGM on the monthly returns. SETTING: All consultant paediatricians and relevant SARC leads across the UK and Ireland. PATIENTS: Under 16 years old with FGM. INTERVENTIONS: Data on cases from November 2015 to November 2017 and 12 months later meeting the case definition of FGM. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Returns included 146 cases, 103 (71%) had confirmed FGM and 43 (29%) did not meet the case definition. There were none from Northern Ireland. RESULTS: The mean reported age was 3 years. Using the WHO classification of FGM, 58% (n=60) had either type 1 or type 2, 8% (n=8) had type 3 and 21% (n=22) had type 4. 13% (n=13) of the cases were not classified and none had piercings or labiaplasty. The majority, 70% had FGM performed in Africa with others from Europe, Middle East and South-East Asia. There were few physical and mental health symptoms. Only one case resulted in a successful prosecution. CONCLUSIONS: There were low numbers of children presenting with FGM and in the 2 years there was only one prosecution. The findings may be consistent with attitude changes in FGM practising communities and those at risk should be protected and supported by culturally competent national policies.
Deborah Hodes, Najette Ayadi O’Donnell, Karina Pall et al.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of and barriers to reporting female genital mutilation (FGM) by victims and survivors of FGM to the police in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on 14 interviews conducted with adult survivors and victims of FGM. A combination of 1:1 and group interviews were used, based on the preference of the respondents. Respondents were recruited in collaboration with specialist non-governmental organisations and major stakeholders in the area of honour-based violence and black and minority ethnic communities. Findings A key finding in this research was that all victims/survivors the authors interviewed stated that they did not support the practice of FGM, and that they would not follow it for younger women in their own family. Second, the authors found that none of the respondents had reported their experience to the police. Third, they identified key barriers to reporting, which included: their belief that reporting their own experience would not serve any purpose because they had experienced FGM as children, and in another country; and that they did not feel able to report new incidents of FGM in the community because of a lack of trust in the police due to previous negative experiences. Finally, they believed that FGM could be prevented only by work within the community, and not through engagement with the criminal justice system. Originality/value This is, to our knowledge, one of the first papers that is based on victims and survivors’ perceptions that explores barriers to reporting cases of FGM to the police, and offers levers for change.
Geetanjali Gangoli, Aisha K. Gill, Natasha Mulvihill et al.
Objectives This review investigates domestic violence against children with disabilities, focusing on the forms, causes, and consequences of such violence through the theoretical framework of the ecological model. The aim of the research is to understand the risk factors that increase the vulnerability of children with disabilities to abuse, as well as to explore the impact on their physical, psychological, and social development.Methods The methodological approach employed is a systematic review of international and Greek literature.Results While disability is prevalent in the general population, studies focusing specifically on children indicate that prevalence is lower among this age group, highlighting the importance of age-specific data. The review highlights the main forms of abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional), along with the multifactorial causes that perpetuate them, such as parental psychological burden, lack of social support, cultural perceptions of disability, and socioeconomic difficulties.Conclusion Existing evidence suggests that children with disabilities are disproportionately exposed to multiple forms of domestic violence compared to their non-disabled peers. Special emphasis is placed on the Greek context, where empirical research in this field remains scarce. The findings underscore the necessity for targeted prevention and intervention programs, professional training for those working with children with disabilities, and the implementation of protective institutional policies. The review concludes with recommendations for future research, emphasizing the importance of strengthening scientific knowledge in Greece.
