UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ten international human rights groups are calling on governments to help end child domestic labor by signing an International Labor Organization convention that requires a minimum age for domestic work.
Only four countries — Uruguay, the Philippines, Mauritius, and Italy — have signed the Domestic Workers Convention since the ILO adopted it in 2011. Another 48 countries are in the process of approving it. The ILO is a U.N. agency with 183 members.
Under the convention, all domestic workers are entitled to weekly days off, limited hours of work, a minimum wage and overtime compensation. It also calls for school-aged workers to receive an education.
The human rights organizations issued the letter Monday, saying domestic child labor enslaves 15 million children around the world.