2006年VOA标准英语-ILO Reports Diminishing Number of Child La

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
04 May 2006

A young boy works on a tire at a garage in Allahabad, India   
  
A new report by the International Labor¹ Organization, ILO, says child labor, especially in its worst forms, is in decline for the first time across the globe.   Between 2000 and 2004, the ILO report finds the number of child laborers² worldwide fell by 11 percent from 246 million to 218 million.

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The International Labor Organization says the good news goes on.  It notes the number of children and young people between the age of five and 17 trapped in hazardous³ work decreased by 26 percent.  It fell to 126 million in 2004 from a previous estimate of 171 million. 

ILO Executive Director, Kari Tapiola, says these latest figures make the ILO cautiously optimistic that the fight against child labor can be won.

"It is feasible that within a period of say 10 years, we could get rid of the whole issue of worst forms of child labor," he said.  "Now that is a very tall order.  If the international attention is maintained and if it continues to be translated into concrete global support for action,  then we believe it is realistic to arrive at this task." 

The ILO describes the worst forms of child labor as activities that are illegal.  These include child prostitution, the use of children for drug trafficking or pornographic purposes and debt bondage⁴.   Four years ago, the ILO estimated at least eight million children work in these areas.

The ILO also considers hazardous work, that is work that endangers a child's life and health, to be among the worst forms of child labor.  This includes deep-sea diving, certain forms of domestic work and quarry⁵ mining.

The report finds the most rapid decline in child labor has occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Asia and the Pacific also registered a significant drop in the number of working children.  But, the ILO says this region still has the largest number of child workers in the five to 14 age group, about 122 million.

Tapiola says the sub-Saharan Africa region has the highest proportion of children engaged in economic activities of any region in the world.  He says 26 percent of the child population, or almost 50 million African children work.

"The least progress has been made in sub-Saharan Africa, unfortunately, where there are problems of infrastructure⁶, of conflict, of population growth rates, HIV/AIDS infection and so on," he added.

But Tapiola says there are some hopeful signs that the situation of child labor can get better in Africa.  He notes that primary school enrollments in the region increased by 38 percent between 1990 and 2000.

The report attributes the reduction in child labor to increased political will and public awareness⁷ of the problem.  Tapiola says a worldwide movement against child labor has been gathering⁸ steam.  He says more consumers are boycotting⁹ goods that are produced by children and this is having an effect.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

3 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

4 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

5 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。