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Abstract
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In developing countries, the agricultural sector is the main provider of employment for the majority of the population (1). In Burkina Faso, this sector occupies 75% of the working population who live mostly in rural areas (2). Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in the heart of West Africa with an estimated population of about 20 and a half million (3), according to the 2019 population census. The major types of agriculture are crop production, animal husbandry, and exploitation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Crop production is dominated by sorghum, millet, corn and rice, the main food crops, and cotton, which is the main cash crop. Most farms are family-based, small, and located in rural areas, utilizing numerous child workers daily. These farmers practice subsistence agriculture in a context where the rural area contributes the most to poverty in the country at 91.8% (2).
According to data from the 2006 National Child Labor Survey (4), 41.1% of children aged 5 to 17 are economically active in Burkina Faso. Of these, 95.8% are in child labor, with the agricultural sector being one of the most affected sectors at 69.2%. Regardless of the type of agricultural work, it involves several tasks that expose children to numerous risks. These risks are related to climatic conditions; the seasonal and physical nature of the activity; contact with animals and plants (bites, poisoning, infections, parasites, allergies, and intoxications); to exposure to chemical products. Unsafe pesticide use is a major problem in the agricultural sector in Burkina Faso (5), leading to illness or death. In September 2019, 18 people (13 from the same family) died from pesticide-related illness,1 while in 2016, a study revealed that 341 in three regions of Burkina Faso suffered from pesticide-related illnesses.2 The legal framework for pesticide use exists but the law is not enforced.
When children have a minimum legal age to work, the agricultural sector is the one that offers, beyond the daily risks, the most possibilities to work decently. Given the importance of the agricultural sector for the country's economic development, knowing the conditions for creating a safe environment for children is necessary for the implementation of good measures for their protection.
Burkina Faso recognizes the rights of children as the ratification of several conventions indicate. These include ILO Convention No. 5 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment in Industry, Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, and Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. No specific law regarding the health, safety, and wellbeing of children and adolescents on farms exists so far, but the country ratified the Convention No. 184 on health and safety in agriculture in 2009...
Language: en |