1.3 Million Girls Under Age 18 Work in Mexico Susana Gonzalez G. - La Jornada
go to original November 4, 2013

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.

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.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

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