From Illinois to Sierra Leone, laws on child labor and child marriage

Illinois now requires that child influencers receive part of revenues from their parents’ vlog content

Though states have long had laws protecting children in the entertainment industry, Illinois is the first to pass legislation governing child labor rights on social media. “Family vlogging,” in which parents monetize social media content featuring their children, has become increasingly lucrative and has inspired backlash due to the practice’s mental health implications and young participants’ lack of agency.

The law stipulates that children younger than 16 are entitled to compensation if they appear in at least 30% of a guardian’s social media content over 30 days. Half of the earnings from vlogs must be set aside in a trust that is accessible to the child when they turn 18. Eighteen-year-olds may bring legal action against parents or guardians who fail to pay them for their work.

Why We Wrote This

In our progress roundup, a teenager’s opinion on kids appearing in their parents’ videos leads to an Illinois law that says children are workers who deserve pay. And in Sierra Leone, policies around protecting girls and women include a ban on child marriage.

Sources:

• Rolling Stone
• CNN

A culture of nurturing nature – instead of battling it – is protecting livelihoods in rural Bolivian communities

Bolivia is one of the 15 most biodiverse countries on Earth. But animals such as the red-fronted macaw, endemic only to the nation’s Andean valleys, have suffered as farmers considered them pests and forests were cleared for agriculture.

But now, protection of forests and animals is a source of revenue for locals. In 2006, bird conservation organization Armonía helped communities build a reserve for red-fronted macaws, which last year earned locals $25,000 in profits from their ecolodge. Projects such as beekeeping and tree nurseries provide income as well as benefits for the forest.

Other organizations, such as Natura, have similar approaches: Nonmonetary incentives offer tanks to capture drinking water and fences for livestock. Municipal governments also support these programs where upstream residents protect the environment to benefit downstream water users. Since 2002, some 34,000 families have worked with Natura to conserve thousands of hectares of forests.

Source:

• Reasons to be Cheerful

Amsterdam clamps down on cruise ships

Phasing out visiting cruise vessels is the city’s latest measure to lessen the burden of “overtourism” and to reduce air pollution. A single cruise ship can produce nitrogen oxides equivalent to 30,000 trucks, according to a report, and about 190 vessels dock in the Dutch capital each year. The number of day-trippers increased by nearly 20% from 2019 to 2023, and overnight stays spiked to 22.1 million last year, exceeding the intended cap of 20 million.

In 2026, the law will cut to 100 the number of vessels permitted to dock in the city. By 2027, instead of their onboard generators, ships must use Amsterdam’s onshore power, which generates less pollution. The city will ban cruise ships entirely in 2035 after the opening of a new terminal being built 16 miles outside Amsterdam.

Sources:

• Bloomberg
• The New York Times

Sierra Leone banned child marriage, part of a national campaign focused on the welfare of girls

Adults who marry someone under 18 can face 15 years imprisonment or fines of up to $5,000 – a hefty cost in a country where nearly 60% of people are classified as living in poverty. Parents, officiators, and wedding guests can be imprisoned for up to a decade and fined $2,500.

In 2020, about 800,000 girls under 18 were married in Sierra Leone – roughly a third of girls. Pregnancy is a leading cause of death for teens in a country that is still working to lower high maternal mortality for all women, and child marriages are associated with low levels of education for girls.

Experts say that for the law to be effective, the government must address poverty and emphasize the benefits of schooling and better health, since girls may still face cultural stigma for refusing to be wed. The law also allows child brides to annul their unions.

Sources:

• Semafor
• Girls Not Brides
• Human Rights Watch
• The New York Times

The precision of drones is helping some Vietnamese rice farmers work more efficiently

Growing 27 million metric tons of rice each year, Vietnam is one of the biggest rice producers in the world. While rice is traditionally labor-intensive, drones are changing the workload and saving seed, fertilizer, and pesticides.

The farmer or drone pilot fills a drone with material and maps the field using a smartphone app. The machine then runs automatically and returns when it’s out of supplies, cutting the labor for some tasks in half. “I have more free time, so I can also offer spraying service to other farmers to gain extra income,” said To Van Hoang.

Source:

• Hakai Magazine

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Illinois now requires that child influencers receive part of revenues from their parents’ vlog content

The issues discussed in this article are related to child labor rights and the exploitation of child influencers on social media.

SDGs:

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Targets:

1. Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor
2. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status
3. Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children

Indicators:

• Indicator 8.7.1: Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, by sex and age group
• Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities
• Indicator 16.2.2: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation

2. A culture of nurturing nature – instead of battling it – is protecting livelihoods in rural Bolivian communities

The issues discussed in this article are related to biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and environmental protection.

SDGs:

1. SDG 1: No Poverty
2. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
3. SDG 15: Life on Land

Targets:

1. Target 1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social, and environmental shocks and disasters
2. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality
3. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

Indicators:

• Indicator 1.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
• Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture
• Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area

3. Amsterdam clamps down on cruise ships

The issues discussed in this article are related to overtourism, air pollution, and sustainable tourism.

SDGs:

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
3. SDG 14: Life Below Water

Targets:

1. Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
2. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
3. Target 14.7: By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing states and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism

Indicators:

• Indicator 11.6.2: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)
• Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
• Indicator 14.7.1: Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP in small island developing states, least developed countries, and all countries

4. Sierra Leone banned child marriage, part of a national campaign focused on the welfare of girls

The issues discussed in this article are related to child marriage, gender equality, and the empowerment of girls.

SDGs:

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Targets:

1. Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
2. Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children

Indicators:

• Indicator 5.3.1: Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
• Indicator 16.2.2: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation

5. The precision of drones is helping some Vietnamese rice farmers work more efficiently

The issues discussed in this article are related to sustainable agriculture, technology adoption, and rural development.

SDGs:

1. SDG 1: No Poverty
2. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Targets:

1. Target 1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social, and environmental shocks and disasters
2. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality
3. Target 9.2: Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries

Indicators:

• Indicator 1.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
• Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture
• Indicator 9.2.1: Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: csmonitor.com