UNICEF Council Introduction

Chair Remarks

• Bianca from SMA Bukit Sion is the Head Chair of the UNICEF Council
• She encourages delegates to embrace making mistakes
• Delegates can reach out to Bianca on Whatsapp with preparation/conference questions
• Maysaluna Kiara Pratama appreciates low-political councils where diplomacy and humanitarian concerns take center stage.
• Joanne Bianca Na’Oedella from IPEKA BSD is a co-chair in the UNICEF council
• She encourages delegates to express their authentic selves and remember the value of friendships and experiences.

Introduction to the Council

• UNICEF is a United Nations organization with the responsibility of protecting children's welfare without discrimination
• UNICEF was founded in 1946
• UNICEF helped with post-Second World War rehabilitation.
• UNICEF partners with governments, international agencies, NGOs, and the community
• UNICEF responds to women, children, and families in disadvantaged sectors
• The council advocates against civil rights abuses on children globally
• Activities are based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
• The UNCRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history
• UNICEF works with governments, international organizations, NGOs, and local community groups to provide proper care for children
• UNICEF's network reaches children in need, especially those affected by conflicts, in developing countries, and marginalized groups
• UNICEF provides immunisation programs, access to clean water, educational programs, and emergency aid in disaster-hit areas
• UNICEF conducts research and uses data to inform global policies on the health, education, and protection of children
• UNICEF advocates for public policies supporting children, mobilising funding and intervening in both international and national social systems
• UNICEF strives to ensure every child has the opportunity to realise their full potential
• UNICEF improves the quality of life for children and helps achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through humanitarian work
• UNICEF's non-governmental status limits its ability to enforce international policies
• Local governments' neglect of children's rights can challenge UNICEF's missions
• UNICEF can't promise immediate and holistic relief in emergencies due to logistical and infrastructural shortcomings
• UNICEF responds to acute humanitarian demands and promotes children's rights
• UNICEF cannot remedy underlying socio-political or economic injustices that place children at risk
• UNICEF is not able to help everyone at once due to the scope of global problems.

Introduction to the Topic

• Child labour affects roughly 160 million children worldwide
• Approximately 79 million work in dangerous and unfair conditions (ILO, 2021)
• Systemic inequality, cultural norms, and vulnerability of marginalized populations lead to violations of children's rights
• Child labor is most common in Central and Southern Asia (5.5%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (23.9%)
• These regions have low income, poverty, and weak labor laws
• Many families depend on child labor due to lack of jobs, schools, or social support systems
• Child labour is common in informal industries like domestic work, mining, and agriculture
• Children are vulnerable because these sectors are largely unregulated
• Child workers in Ghana and Senegal earn as little as $1.25 per month (ILO, 2023)
• Poverty is the primary source of child labour
• Nearly half of the population in affected areas lives below the poverty line
• They earn less than $2 per day
• Families prioritize short-term financial survival over education
• This dependency supports the poverty cycle since uneducated children are more likely to remain in low-paying jobs
• Cultural beliefs also support child labor
• Children working with families is seen as normal and necessary for survival in many farming communities
• This goes against international human rights rules, like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNHRC)
• The UNHRC protects children's rights to education, safety, and growth
• International laws, like the ILO's Minimum Age Convention (C138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (C182), aim to stop child labor
• Enforcing these laws is difficult because of weak government systems, lack of law enforcement, poor public policies, and not enough funding
• A flexible and complete approach is needed, considering economic and cultural backgrounds and long-term impacts
• Delegates must understand what counts as hard labor for children fully address this problem.

Key Terms and Definitions

• Vulnerable Children: Children at greater risk of physical or emotional harm, or at risk of achieving poor outcomes due to their life circumstances
• Child Labor: Work that children are too young to perform or that is hazardous (UNICEF)
• Conflict Zones: Areas of war or political instability that disrupt essential services (Ex: housing, transportation, communication, sanitation, water, health care)
• Marginalized Groups: Groups and communities that experience discrimination and exclusion (social, political, and economic) due to unequal power relationships
• Exploitation: The action of being groomed, forced or coerced into doing something you don't want to do for someone else's gain
• Systematic Inequality: Disparities in wealth, resources, opportunities and privileges resulting from discriminatory practices ingrained within the structures and institutions of society
• Socioeconomic Status: The social standing/class of an individual and/or group, often determined by factors like education, income and occupation

Case Study

Cobalt Mining in Democratic Republic of Congo

• The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world's largest exporter of cobalt
• Cobalt is a key component in rechargeable batteries
• DRC accounts for roughly 73% of global production (Williams, 2024)
• While cobalt production aims for clean and renewable energy, it violates human rights and involves child labour
• Out of 225,000 cobalt miners, 40,000 are children
• Child labour mostly occurs in artisanal mines or small-scale mines that are not tied to the government or official companies
• These mines contribute about 10-20% of the total cobalt exported by DRC (World Bank, 2021)
• Families in DRC rely on child labor in artisanal mines
• Child workers can earn up to $2.50 a day, which is just enough to not starve
• The safety of these mines is not ensured
• Up to 2,000 deaths could happen annually (Zuzia, 2023)
• Government instability plays a role due to insufficient implementation of mining regulations
• There have been cases of media manipulation by the government (Adolphe, 2024)

Cocoa Industry in West Africa

• 60% of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa, specifically Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana
• Around 1.56 million children are involved in child labour to produce cocoa (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.)
• Families send off children and gamble on them bringing home money
• Only a handful of children actually come back
• Child workers are being abused, and there are cases of human trafficking
• Cote D'Ivoire is the richer country, so people migrate there for better jobs and fall into traps set by fraudulent labour recruiters

Child Labour in the Fast Fashion Industry

• Child labour in the fast fashion industry doesn’t occur in one company or brand only, but many brands and companies have gone under fire for these cases
• One of the companies that experienced it was Shein
• Shein is a fast fashion Chinese brand
• Shein was founded by Chris Xu
• Shein gathers up to 6,000 clothing factories all across China as their clothing supplier
• From July to December 2021, the company was able to add 2000 to 10,000 new clothing designs each day (Rajvanshi, 2023)
• In August 2024, two cases of child labour in 2023 in their suppliers were revealed
• Shein had to suspend the supply and end the contract with that certain supplier (Da Silva, 2024)

Past Actions

UNCRC (The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child)

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a legally binding convention
• 196 countries have signed it as of July 12, 2022
• It has been adopted since November 1981
• It is the most ratified human rights treaty in history
• The UNCRC's purpose is to protect the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of every child without any discrimination towards their parents
• It was able to lay down fundamental rights of children
• Rights include freedom of expression, access to education, and adequate living conditions
• The UNCRC explicitly says children shall not be subjected to labour in Article 32 (UNICEF UK, n.d.)
• Child labour persists even with the signatories of 196 countries
• Research found that most international treaties do not produce the intended outcome
• The UNCRC has led to worsened human rights violations, no improvement in the health sector, and unexpectedly increased child labour
• Treaties can produce the intended outcome if enforcement mechanisms are included (Hoffman, 2022)

ILO-IPEC (International Labour Organization-Elimination of Child Labour)

• It's one of the largest global initiatives to combat child labour
• The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, launched in 1992, and works in over 90 countries of the world
• ILO-IPEC is a constituent part of the ILO
• The ILO is a UN-specialised agency whose goal is to foster social justice and labour rights for all
• ILO-IPEC plays an important role in developing strategies to eliminate child labour worldwide by 2025 (ILO, 2018)
• The programme’s central goal is to eradicate child labour, especially the worst forms of child labour, as defined in ILO Convention No. 182 (1999)
• ILO-IPEC contributes to the effective implementation of ILO Convention No. 138 (1973) on the minimum age for admission to employment
• ILO-IPEC's work directly supports global efforts, from Global Target 8.7 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• ILO-IPEC specifically supports children's rights to protection, education, and safe environments
• The informal economy, spans agriculture, domestic work, and street vending is a leading source of child labour
• The informal economy is especially prevelant in poorer countries
• These informal sectors are often unregulated
• Unregulated economies leads to unsafe working conditions, long hours, and a lack of access to education for children
• The ILO-IPEC works closely with multi-stakeholders to address the issue of child labour in informal economies
• The ILO-IPEC aims to protect children at least the minimum working age in safe and healthy workplaces
• There are several inefficiencies with the program
• It also often fails to take into account more general socio-economic factors influencing child labour and more widespread cultural norms
• Although IPEC reports global attention to the risks of child labour, this knowledge does not necessarily motivate action because of ongoing economic pressures

UNICEF Child Protection Strategy

• In 2021, UNICEF revised the Child Protection Strategy to help protect children from violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect
• It has three core areas:
  • Strengthening national child protection systems for laws and social services
  • Enabling social change to end harmful practices
  • Empowering communities, families, and children to prevent and respond to protection issues
• UNICEF partners with governments, civil society, and local communities to support sustainable solutions
• It's a method to tackle the underlying drivers of child protection violations will providing children at risk with short-term assistance
• Several associated inefficiencies compromise its overall effectiveness
• Insufficient funding and resources limit the reach and success of child protection responses
• Inconsistencies in enforcing child protection laws between countries reduce the overall effectiveness
• Social and cultural norms put obstacles to effecting real change
• UNICEF’s strategy is an urgent call to action for a whole-of-society approach, from local leaders to multinational corporations

Conditional Cash Transfers

• Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) are cash transfer networks sent to households that meet particular criteria
• They promote positive behaviours
• Enrolment and regular health check-ups are examples
• The topic of conditionality in cash transfer programs has been widely discussed
• Supporters say that the connection between transfers and actions can assist in cases where households may not understand how to make the most of services
• Conditionality can also overcome disinterest or ignorance of investments crucial to national development
• Conditionality might generate additional political support, as it links transfers to responsibilities already anchored in law
• Critics argue that conditionality could violate human rights when those receiving benefits are unable to meet such conditions
• Inability is due to reasons of physical distance or disability
• It does not promote inclusion and equity
• Rather it can lead to social exclusion, marginalization, and unequal power dynamics
• Compliance adds administrative costs and complexity
• It requires a considerable allocation of resources and coordination to monitor

Scope of Debate

Economic Dependence and Cultural Factors

• Social norms and community culture greatly impact on child labor
• Most agricultural societies have cultural norms that normalise child labour as a way to continue life
• In Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 48% of families live below the poverty line
• They earn less than $2 per day (Statista, 2024)​
• Families often rely on their children’s earnings for survival
• In Ghana’s mining sector, child labourers earn approximately $2.50 daily
• Its a sum that ensures short-term sustenance but perpetuates poverty cycles and educational neglect (ILO, 2023)​
• These children often perform tiring tasks, using hazardous tools and working under extreme weather conditions
• Many families view formal education as unnecessary, prioritizing practical work experience
• Children engaged in labour are three times less likely to complete primary school than their peers
• It creates educational gaps and limits future opportunities (UNICEF, 2023)​
• Misconceptions about formal education contribute to the normalization of child labour
• Starting work at a young age is seen as a way to contribute to society
• Child labour is seen as more important than pursuing education in schools
• This mindset particularly affects girls
• Girls' roles and opportunities are often limited to household duties
• This creates gender inequality as a systemic issue
• A comprehensive framework-based solution is needed
• Providing cultural interventions that still respect local traditions and still uphold children's basic rights
• Community involvement and potential partnerships with local leaders can be an ideal solution
• This means examining the issue at the local level and aligning it with international guidelines, such as those set by the ILO on children's rights
• It allows for a clearer understanding of the issue by comparing global standards with the lived realities of affected communities

Systemic Problems

• Issues of poverty, weak law enforcement against child labor, informal economy oriented, no access to education, and human trafficking create long-lasting structural disparities
• Families below the poverty line will prioritize needs over formal education
• The result is exploitative actions against children to help drive the economy
• Lack of access to education deepens inequality and creates the same cycle of poverty
• The weak implementation of regulations on child labor is another systemic challenge
• The implementation of government regulations, both national and international, is still unable to control the increase in cases of child labour
• Suggested approaches include preparing poverty alleviation programs, open access to education, enforcement, and the supremacy of law against child labor

Long Term Goals vs. Short Term Needs

• Addressing systemic and structural challenges requires strategic solutions
• In the short term, efforts should focus on tackling poverty and acknowledging local cultural factors
• In the long term, achieving lasting stability requires strengthening education, providing financial assistance to families below the poverty line, and implementing comprehensive mitigation strategies
• Clear resolutions and recommendations must be established to guide global efforts effectively to address child labour

Cross-Border Complications

• Human trafficking exacerbates child labour, particularly in conflict-prone and economically fragile regions
• Trafficked children experience severe exploitation in industries such as agriculture and domestic service
• Globally, over 1.56 million children are exploited in various sectors
• Victims are trafficked across borders under inhumane conditions (Anti-Slavery International, 2023)
• This issue persists due to weak enforcement of anti-trafficking laws
• It is a global challenge illustrated by significant accountability gaps in reporting across many regions (US Department of State, 2023)

Bloc Positions

Developing Countries with a High Prevalence of Child Labour

• Child labour is a significant challenge in developing countries
• The issues are mainly due to dire poverty, lack of education, and lack of enforcement of labour laws
• In many of these countries, infrastructure and social services, especially in rural and conflict-affected areas are lacking
• The problem is also compounded by cultural norms and economic pressure because families depend on child labour to survive
• Countries in the developing world stress culturally relevant strategies
• Prioritising the strengthening of education systems, community involvement, and social protection are needed
• These countries pursue sustainable and equitable growth
• Emphasis on: reinforcing local institutions and supporting grassroots initiatives that lessen reliance on child labour

Industrialised Emerging Nations

• As rapid economic growth and the industrialisation of emerging economies continue, child labour is emerging as a serious problem
• These nations must try to tackle these challenges
• Having made progress in eliminating child labour, these countries are now confronted with regional disparities and gaps in enforcement
• Their economies have become more varied, though inequality persists, especially in rural and less developed regions
• These countries prioritise strengthening institutional capacity and enforcing labour protections
• All must pursue economic policies that do not include child labour
• Emerging economies want to accelerate growth that is inclusive, sustainable and leads to a proportional reduction in child labour

Developed Nations for Global Regulation

• The advanced infrastructure, strong governance, and financial resources of developed nations are indispensable for the global efforts towards child labour eradication
• These countries have particular interests in strengthening the application of international legal regimes
• They want to promote the establishment of global compliance assurance regimes
• Developed nations give financial aid, technical assistance, and capacity-building support to vulnerable regions
• Emphasising multilateral cooperation and cross-sectoral collaboration is important
• Developing countries need to build inclusive frameworks that address the socio-economic drivers of child labour
• Through them developed nations promote global transparency, accountability, and sustainable development initiatives
• All efforts must be ensured to combat child labour and exploitation for good

QARMAs (Questions A Resolution Must Answer)

• How can countries work together to create regional and global plans to end child labour, especially by strengthening cooperation between developing, emerging, and developed nations?
• How can national and international laws be improved to better protect children from child labour, especially in rural areas and conflict zones where enforcement is weak?
• What job opportunities can be provided for families that rely on child labour so they can earn a living without depending on their children working?
• How can future policies be designed to effectively tackle child labour while considering the challenges faced by conflict-affected and economically struggling regions, ensuring fair participation from all countries?
• What methods can UNICEF and other organizations use to track the success of child labour prevention programs, especially in addressing deep-rooted social and cultural issues?