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Activities on Child Labour
Description
Activity 1:
This activity is designated for schools in countries where child labour is not a key issue. It encourages students to envision what it is like to be a child labourer working in agriculture. The activity involves developing a profile of a child labourer on the basis of an image.
Activity 2: builds on the previous activity.
Activity 3 (What is Child Labour?): This activity provides information on key global statistics, child labour and education.
Activity 4 (SCREAM in Colour)
SCREAM: Supporting Children's Rights through Education, the Arts, and the Media
-The learning process includes a series of steps, from discussing the issue, sketching a message/ drawing, sharing their ideas, producing a final group sketch and then transferring the final sketch on a canvas or wall. By giving expression to the creativity of children, with the support of an art teacher, local artist and/ or a university student from an art faculty of a local university.
Time Required: Activity 1: -40 min. However, there are some activities that may be double sessions, where stated. Activity 2: This activity can be done in one double teaching session or two separate teaching sessions of approximately 40 minutes. Activity 3: Approximately 40 minutes. Activity 4: Three double teaching sessions
Learning Objectives
Activity 1:
Upon completion of this activity, students will develop a higher emotional awareness of what child labour through reflective work.
Activity 2
Upon completion of this exercise, students will learn and appreciate the importance of going to school and how millions of child are denied this right.
Activity 3:
This activity raises students awareness of the severity of child labour, and the value of education.
Activity 4:
Upon completion of this activity, students will have a heightened awareness and understanding of child labour and be able to communicate their perspectives through visual messages.
This activity develops their communication skills and encourages students to become agents of social change.
Teaching Process
Activity 1:
1) Split the students into groups of four or five and let each group choose an image. Using their imagination they should create a character from the image they see. Get them to think about who the child is and what sort of environment he or she lives and works in. Use questions to stimulate discussion – eg. “How old do you think the child is?”, “Which country do you think the child comes from?” etc. Encourage the
groups to come up with questions of their own.
2) Ask the group to write notes and ideas about the profile of the child.Then guide the groups into a deeper analysis of the image so they enter the world of their character and relate to their situation. Ask questions that will encourage the groups to build a more personal profile of the child, for example, “What is the child’s name?”, “How long has he or she been doing this work?”, “Why is he or she working?”, “Where does he or she sleep?”, “Does the child
have any friends?”, “Does the child have any
time to play?”, “What are the child’s best and worst memories?” etc.
3) Ask the groups to write up their own questions and get them to be as creative and imaginative as possible in presenting their “character” to the full group. This could be in written format or they could act it out or draw the person. Develop a lively session in which the different groups can share the profile of “their” child labourer with you and the rest of the group. By the time the groups have presented their profiles, they will all have a greater understanding of what it is like to be a child labourer in agriculture and heightened their emotional awareness on the issue.
Activity 2:
1) Invite a member of the group to share their own daily routine in preparing for school and to describe the sights, sounds and smells as they make the journey to their classroom. It may help to ask occasional questions “What do you enjoy eating for breakfast?” or “How do you get to school?” or “What do you like about your journey to school?” etc. You can also start by
sharing your own journey to school.
2) Invite group to write and/ or draw a map
about their journey to school. Encourage them to be as detailed and descriptive as possible and to be open about their feelings. If they are drawing a map ask them to clearly label key features of their journey.
3) After they have completed their stories/ drawings, explain to them that for the next part of the activity they will enter the world of a child labourer. Ask each group member to study the images and stories (above) of the child labourers, and to think about their lives. Explain to them that they are to create a character of a child labourer, using the images and stories to
inspire them, and then enter his/ her world as the character makes his/ her journey to work. Begin with asking the group to use their imagination to build a profile of the child. Ask them to start asking the following questions for inspiration “What is your character’s name?”, “How old is the child?”, “Which country does the child
comes from?”, “Does your character have any
parents, brothers, sisters or. any pets?”, “Do they enjoy going to work?”, “What would the child like to do instead of working?” etc.
4) Once they have developed their individual
characters ask them to imagine that they are
the character they have developed. Ask them
to capture their character’s daily ritual and routine by either writing and/or drawing a map. Again, inspire them with questions “What time did your character wake up at?”, “Did he/she have a good night’s sleep?”, “Does he/she have anything to eat in the morning before going to work?”, “What is the weather and temperature like outside?” “Is he/she wearing adequate and necessary clothing?” Encourage your group to
describe this journey to work in the first person and to frequently use the word “I”.
5) After your group has completed their characters’ journey encourage them to exchange/swap their journeys with another person in the group. Depending on the time available, you could consider inviting one member of the group to share their journey to school with the whole group, and then another student to share their character’s journey to work. In many countries
this activity led to the creation of a theatre performance which was shared with the entire community.
Activity 3:
1) Divide the students into two groups. Ask
each group to stand at point 0 on the respective scales and explain the rules of the game. Explain that the aim of the activity is for them to become more familiar with the extent of the problem of child labour and they need to move along to the point on the scale where they estimate the answer to be. Explain that after each question, there will be a short discussion
to reveal more information behind the figure.
For each question, ask them to discuss in their groups what they think the answer is and to nominate one person to stand on the scale. Start off with some “fun” questions. eg:
Q: Out of every 100 people, how many have
never made or received a phone call (answer:
more than 50.)
Q: Out of every 100 people, how many have a
computer? (answer: 12.)
2) Follow on with more “Serious” questions:
Introduce this part of the activity by telling the group that child labour is a violation of children’s basic rights, dignity and freedom. Roughly 1 in every 7 children is a child labourer (refer to the ILO website- What is child labour?)
Q: Out of every 100 child labourers in the world, how many are working in particularly dangerous conditions? (answer: 8).Approximately 6 out of every 10 child labourers are in occupations identified as hazardous to health and safety. A
significant number of children are also involved in the worst forms of child labour such as prostitution, bonded labour, child soldiers.)
Q: Out of every 100 child labourers, how many are girls? (answer: 46). Many girls may also be involved with domestic chores for long hours.)
Q: Out of every 100 children of primary school age, how many are not enrolled in school? (answer: 10 - or 1 in 10 children). Many of the children not in school do some type of work.
Q: Out of every 100 out-of-school children,
how many are living in developing countries?
(answer: 95). The vast majority of out-of-school children are living in developing countries. The same is true for child labour. But it is important to remember that it is not just a “developing country” issue. Child labour and lack of access to education also affects children in industrialised
countries, albeit to a lesser extent.)
Q: Of every 100 out-of-school children, how
many live in rural areas? (answer: 82). The vast majority of working children– 132 million, or more than 70%– are found in rural areas.
3) At the end of the activity groups should
brainstorm on what they think should be done
and what they personally can do to fight against child labour.
Sources of information and statistics:
ILO: www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/viewProduct.do;?productId=2419
UNESCO: Education For All by 2015
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001547/154743e.pdf
IPEC: www.ilo.org/ipec
Understanding Children’s Work (UCW): www.ucw-project.org/
Activity 4:
Session 1
-Start off by getting the children to think about the issue of child labour, and ask a volunteer from the group to take notes.
-To help them begin by asking them questions: “What does child labour mean to you?”, “Do child labourers go to school?”, “Is there child labour in our country?”
-Ask the group what can be done to stop child labour and what they think they can do.
-Split the group into smaller groups and, with the help of an art teacher or local artist, ask each group to a sketch a design they would like to see on a banner that best capitalizes their opposition to child labour that best captures their message.
-Encourage each individual to contribute.
Session 2
-Once the groups’ sketches are complete, invite each group to discuss their drawings.
-Ask them to reflect and comment on each others’ work, and for a volunteer to write down their observations.
-Make sure each group is given the opportunity to speak.
-Based on the discussion, ask your group to come up with and agree on a title, caption and group sketch for the final banner/
canvas/mural.
-Again, ask one volunteer to record and draw these ideas.
Session 3
-After the final sketch is completed, using large marker pens, transfer the final sketch on the canvas or wall.
-Make sure everyone participates.
-After the groups have completed transferring the final sketch, ask them to start painting.
-Organize an exhibit of the final canvas on
or in the lead up to the World Day against Child Labour, held in June each year, inviting the media, the local authorities and other schools. This would be an ideal opportunity for your students to share their experiences and send a message to their community to stop child labour.
Encourage your group to visit the 12 to 12
Community Portal on child labour- www.12to12.
org- to see what action other young people
have taken. Once registered, your students can upload information and images regarding their activities directly onto the Portal. This will ensure that their initiatives are shared with others throughout the world.
Other Tools
Activity 1: -Pictures of children working in agriculture. If you have internet access, you will find a collection of photos designated for this exercise on the 12 to 12 Community Portal: www.12to12.org. You can also download additional images of child labourers from the following ILO website: www.ilo.org/dcomm Try and find a variety of images of children of different ages working in different forms of agriculture (e.g. cocoa plantations, tobacco fields, cotton farms, fruit picking, etc.) to fully understand the severity of this issue. Activity 2: -flip chart -paper -pens Activity 3: If possible, do this activity outside. Two numerical scales -Make two numerical scales parallel to each other on the floor Markers -You will need markers to set out each point on the scale, 1, 10, 20, 30...100 Photo (optional) -You could place a photo to each point on the scale to add visual impact Activity 4: -Drawing paper of any size and colours - Pencils/pens - Felt pens - Colouring pencils and the necessary amount of acrylic paints - Brushes - Solvent - Sufficient room or space is also required to produce the canvas/mural. A public space donated or authorized by the mayor/local authorities to display the banner or mural.
