1. Costa Rica and Guatemala: An Analysis of Child Labor LER 554 - Professor Aguilera - 9/24/2008 Raven Johnson Maria Morozowich Jessica Velasco Dorothy Wawrzak

2. Objectives Introduction to Central America Child Labor in the world Child Labor in –Costa Rica –Guatemala Conclusions

3. Introduction to Central America Can anyone describe the location of Central America? Name 3 countries in the region.

4. Introduction to Central America Central America is often referred to as either the southern most tip of North America, connecting North America to South America or a region all its own The countries that make up Central America are: –Belize –Costa Rica –El Salvador –Guatemala –Honduras –Nicaragua –Panama

5. History of Central America Originally occupied by the Mayan and Aztec people Following Christopher Columbus’ expedition, Spain ruled (and inhabited) nearly all of Central America (barring British Honduras, present day Belize) In 1821, there was a rebellion and Spain was no longer in control That same year, the Federal Republic of Central America was formed, but it was short-lived (17 years)

6. Do you know… Which of these countries is the largest, by population? Nicaragua at nearly 130k km Which of these countries is largest by area? Guatemala at over 12.7M residents

7. Costa Rica

8. Costa Rica - República de Costa Rica Population4,191,948 Monetary UnitColón LanguagesSpanish (official), English Literacy94.9% GDP/PPP (2007 est.)$45.77 billion; per capita $10,300 Real growth rate6.8% Inflation9.4% Unemployment4.6% Exports$7.005 billion: coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment Imports$9.69 billion: raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum Major trade partnersU.S., Netherlands, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Brazil Foreign Relations Costa Rica is an active member of the international community and, in 1993, proclaimed its permanent neutrality. Its record on the environment, human rights, and advocacy of peaceful settlement of disputes give it a weight in world affairs far beyond its size.

9. Guatemala

10. Guatemala - República de Guatemala Population13,002,206 Monetary UnitQuetzal LanguagesSpanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% Literacy71% GDP/PPP (2007 est.)$62.53 billion; per capita $4,700 Real growth rate5.7%. Inflation6.8%. Unemployment3.2% Exports$7.468 billion: coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom Imports$12.67 billion: fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity Major trade partnersU.S., El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, South Korea, China Foreign RelationsGuatemala's major diplomatic interests are regional security and increasingly, regional development and economic integration.

11. Which facts are real in Guatemala? a) An average woman in Guatemala works more than any other women in the world b) Major transit country for cocaine and heroin in Central America c) Guatemala was ranked to have the 2nd highest concentration of ozone in the world in 2007 d) Organizing a union in Guatemala is life- threatening e) People steal children so they can give them in adoption to foreigners

12. Child Labor Definition: Labor that is performed by a child who is under the minimum age specified for that kind of work (as defined by national legislation, in accordance with accepted standards), and that is thus likely to impede the child’s education and full development

13. Types of child labor Agriculture Domestic work Bonded child labor (when a family receives and advanced payment to hand a child-boy or girl- over to an employer) Forced or compulsory recruitment for use in armed conflict Trafficking (transportation of drugs, sexual exploitation, etc) Street work (clowns, fire-kids, shoes, etc)

14. Child Labor in the World 218 million children ages 5 to 17 work in developing countries Of those, 5.7 million are from Latin America and the Caribbean

15. Do you know… What is the minimum working age in Costa Rica? Guatemala? Costa Rica - 15, Guatemala - 14 Which of the two countries has a higher rate of child labor? Guatemala

16. Child Labor Statistics Definition: Percentage of children 5-14 years of age involved in child labor. A child is considered to be involved in child labor under the following classification: (a) children 5-11 years of age who did at least one hour of economic activity or at least 28 hours of domestic work during the week preceding the survey, and (b) children 12-14 years of age who did at least 14 hours of economic activity or at least 28 hours domestic work during the week preceding the survey. Child Labor (5-14 years) 1999-2006 TotalMaleFemale Costa Rica563 Guatemala292532

17. Costa Rica: Child Labor Facts Reported 67,000 children work The majority of working children were found in: –the agricultural sector (57.0 percent) –services (30.9 percent) –manufacturing (7.3 percent) –other sectors (4.8 percent) The rate of child work is higher in rural than in urban areas.

18. Costa Rica: Child Labor Facts Minimum age for full-time employment is15 years of age Other standards: –Adolescents under 18 years are prohibited from working for more than 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week. –Children 12 to 18 years old may work longer hours in agriculture and ranching, within the limitations established for the general workday schedules. Violations of minimum age and child labor standards are punishable by fines.

19. Costa Rica: Child Labor Eradication 2006-2007:Child Labor Improvements: –10.9 % to 8.7% May 2006 – Economic subsidies for poor adolescents in the formal and non-formal education system to reduce child labor 2005-2010 - Second National Action Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor and Special Protection of Adolescent Workers

20. Costa Rica: Child Labor Eradication USD 5.5 million USDOL- funded regional Child Labor Education Initiative Program implemented by CARE 2006 - USDOL-funded ILO-IPEC-implemented USD 3 million regional project to combat child labor in commercial agriculture ended

21. Guatemala: Child Labor The highest incidence of child work in Latin America –Over 1 million children work –Typically poor indigenous boys from rural areas Record declines in garment maquilas, but problem still persists especially in more rural areas and with work done at home. Agriculture is the highest employer of children, and children commonly work unpaid for their families

22. Guatemala: Related Laws Minimum age for work is 14, but younger children may be granted authority Inadequate enforcement of laws results in many unauthorized child workers. –Shortage of labor inspectors, weakness of labor court system Education is compulsory until age 14, but the law is no enforced –Illiteracy rate = 52%, up to 85% in rural areas, 90% among indigenous children

23. Guatemala: Programs and Efforts President of Guatemala recently reunited with the Labor Ministry and other social organizations US aid and improvements to Ministry of Labor Task Force for Protection of Child Workers Translating child worker rights and other laws into indigenous languages Various NGOs that do advocacy work, research, and social programs designed to address problems (focusing on street children)

24. Other Solutions to the Problem Combating exploitive child labor through education in Central America (CA-Primero Aprendo): Implement creative and innovative approaches: 1.provide educational opportunities for children engaged; 2.encourage retention in, and completion of educational programs, and 3.expand the successful transition of children in non-formal education into formal schools or vocational plans

25. Conclusion & Questions Countries in Central America were once very similar as a set of developing nations with similar economic and social problems Guatemala remains much this way Costa Rica has improved dramatically and this can be seen clearly in the recent successful efforts to eradicate child labor Guatemala still struggles - what lessons can we learn from this case study?

26. Gracias!!

27. Sources http://www.hrw.org/children/labor.htm http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/76309/dc2002 /proceedings/pdfppt/guatemalachild.pdf http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/76309/dc2002 /proceedings/pdfppt/guatemalachild.pdf http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/sweat/guatemal a.htm http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/sweat/guatemal a.htm http://www.childinfo.org/labour_countrydata.php http://www.unicef.org http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107596.html A Brief History of Central America by Hector Perez- Brignoli www.nationalencyclopedia.com http://www.dol.gov/ilab/map/countries/costa_rica.htm http://www.ilo.org www.costaricapages.com www.hartford-hwp.com/archives