“Shymkent”, # 25 (33), 27/07/2007
Social Worker NGO “Sana Sezim”
S. Yusupzhanova

   During summer vacations in the labor market there has been an increase in the number of working children. If we talk about girls and boys, they can be found working in the market, trading vegetables, or working as a conductor on the buses. Their peers, who live in rural areas, work in the fields picking fruits and vegetables. This raises the question of how difficult this work is and what about it and its effects are not visible. This work can be attributed to the worst kinds of child labor, because the child may not be comfortable or want to be in the bazaar or on the “Gazelle”.
   This is hard work, which inevitably affects the health of adolescents. The forms of child labor in Kazakhstan include: Working in the fields as laborers, working at filling stations, working at unloading stations, unloading and transporting of goods to markets, and working as a conductor on public transportation. Motives for placing children in these positions are mainly economic. Most often, these children are from disadvantaged or large families, where parents are either unemployed or incarcerated.
   But the children of well-advantaged families, where there is no understanding of children's needs, also fall into this category. Child labor is found in almost all industrial and non-production areas of the economy. It can occur in urban areas, as well as in agriculture, petty trading in local markets, as well as in households. At the bazaar, for example, child labor is used mainly for sorting of fruits and vegetables, and in some cases, minors are used as “beggars”.
   Children themselves are not aware of the damage of working under such conditions, nor on how to protect themselves from hazards. Kids just think that they are earning their bread and helping their parents. But their parents do not want or do not know about the harm that would result in these small and short-term earnings. The situation in parts of South Kazakhstan Region on the violation of labor regulations for children is catastrophic. One of the reasons is low awareness. The public, parents and children themselves work on the regulation of labor relations. In fact, many families do not know the rules for the employment of children under the labor laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Solving the problem in our hands! Stop the exploitation of children!
   For all your questions, you can always call NGO “Sana Sezim”: 56-27-32, 56-47-54. Our advice is free and confidential.