Approximately 1.3 million female children and adolescents under the age of 18 work and 58.2% of these girls
“work a triple shift, combining their job with housework and studies, while 31.2% work and do housework, but do not go to school”
indicates the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
The United Nations established International Children’s day last year and it was celebrated for the second time this year on 11 October, which was the motivation for the Inegi to release these figures. In Mexico there are 19.3 million females under the age of 18, which represents 49% of the total for this age group.
The majority of the minors (55.8% or 11 million) are between the ages of 5 and 14, 27.5% are small children under the age of 5, and 16.7% are adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17. The states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Aguascalientes, Oaxaca and Puebla have the greatest population of young girls (34.7% of the local female population), in contrast with Mexico City and Nuevo Leon, where the proportion is only between 25% and 31%.
The Inegi warned that 3.49% of single adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have suffered domestic abuse and the figure rises to 39.5% for those who are married or who live with their partner. Also, 11.5% of the girls reported that they have been hit at some point by their class mates.
Even though the Federal Labor Law prohibits that those under the age of 14 work, it is calculated that more than 3 million Mexicans between the ages of 5 and 17 do so. Female children represent around one third of the group.
According to the Inegi, “from the total female infant and adolescent population, 6.8% carry out some kind of paid work.” This percentage represents 1.3 million under-age workers.
Out of these workers, 46.8% do not receive any income or are paid in kind. Of those who receive a salary, 1 in every 3 earns “up to the minimum salary” [about $5US per day], which means that 75% of these female workers live in a precarious situation.
Why do they work?
The United Nations established International Children’s day last year and it was celebrated for the second time this year on 11 October, which was the motivation for the Inegi to release these figures. In Mexico there are 19.3 million females under the age of 18, which represents 49% of the total for this age group.
The majority of the minors (55.8% or 11 million) are between the ages of 5 and 14, 27.5% are small children under the age of 5, and 16.7% are adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17. The states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Aguascalientes, Oaxaca and Puebla have the greatest population of young girls (34.7% of the local female population), in contrast with Mexico City and Nuevo Leon, where the proportion is only between 25% and 31%.
The Inegi warned that 3.49% of single adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have suffered domestic abuse and the figure rises to 39.5% for those who are married or who live with their partner. Also, 11.5% of the girls reported that they have been hit at some point by their class mates.
Even though the Federal Labor Law prohibits that those under the age of 14 work, it is calculated that more than 3 million Mexicans between the ages of 5 and 17 do so. Female children represent around one third of the group.
According to the Inegi, “from the total female infant and adolescent population, 6.8% carry out some kind of paid work.” This percentage represents 1.3 million under-age workers.
Out of these workers, 46.8% do not receive any income or are paid in kind. Of those who receive a salary, 1 in every 3 earns “up to the minimum salary” [about $5US per day], which means that 75% of these female workers live in a precarious situation.
Why do they work?
- 30% said that their families make them work,
- 27.8% stated that they need the money for school and personal expenses,
- 12.7% said that their economic contribution is needed in their homes,
- 1 in every 10 indicated that they work in order to learn a trade,
- 2.6% of these minors said that they work because they do not want to go to school,
- One third are working for established businesses,
- 16% are industrial or artisan workers or helpers,
- 10% work in domestic services,
- 8.5% are street vendors.
“which goes against the child’s interests, disguising an arrangement which could entail abusive conditions and hide violence and mistreatment”.The conditions of low salaries and insufficient social protection, which are prevalent in this type of work, are worse in the case of minors in general, as they become hidden or invisible workers, more vulnerable to be exploited and difficult to protect. In the case of female children, 55% barely receive the minimum salary and 2% do not receive anything at all. Spanish Original