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Their situation is by no means unique. Nearly 700 000 Honduran children are deprived of their right to a childhood and close to half of those work in jobs, which like the dump are classified as the worst forms of child labor. The National Action Plan for Gradual and Progressive Eradication of Child Labor, which was first set out as part of the Strategy for Poverty Reduction in 2001 have so far failed to address the acute needs of these children.

For those who work at the dump, physical health hazards such as breathing in acidic fumes, carrying heavy loads and being infected with stomach bugs are part of their every day life. But the psychological effects of child labor are even more damaging, as Paulino Isidoro from IPEC explains: "When you force a child to grow up too quickly it has many psychological effects; it affects their self-esteem and often makes them depressed or aggressive."
While many voices have raised the issue of the children at the dump for discussion, the American charity organization GOAL is alone in actively providing help at the site. Working with the children and their families they give economic assistance, food and school materials to enable the youngsters to go back to school and are disappointed with the lack of government support. GOAL Program Manager, Jorge Valladares says: "The government is not involved in any field work out here. The assistance of 50 Lempiras a month that they offer families is very bad and the program is not even working." GOAL Director Linda Ball agrees, saying: "The workshop mentality here is ridiculous, they have bookshelves full of fancy publications and lots of catered lunches but they don't actually go out and help."

Instead of tackling the problems at the dump the government is planning to hand over the administration to a private enterprise and stop the public access. While such measures would remove the upfront problem, it is of little help to the children working at the dump, who rely on it for survival. Valladeres says: "The only thing that will happen if the dump is closed is that the children will be scattered around the city and be more difficult for us to reach out to. They might be forced into even worse forms of labor, such as prostitution."

For 17-year old Maria, prostitution has already become a reality. Talking to Honduras This Week she tells of how she eventually got into the sex industry two months ago as she was struggling to afford going to High School. She says: "I need this job to eat. I don't have the opportunity to get another job because I'm in School, hopefully I won't be doing this for long."

Working in a house with five other girls she says a school friend introduced her to the business and that it is a common way for girls her age to finance their studies. "I had two weeks when I didn't work, but I needed to pay for my school books so I went back to it. I don't want to drop out of High School because I want to be somebody; I want to be an architect."
Regarding children like Maria who work in the sex industry, proposals for legal reforms are set to be brought into congress in October. The hope is that by removing old fashioned and abstract terms, it should become easier to protect the rights of the child.

Yet, poverty remains the main reason behind child sexual labor and Isidoro among others, doubts the bid will lead anywhere. He says: "The proposal has the backing of all the international organizations but in the end the law is made by the congress and the government does not abide by its compromises; the laws are not being implemented."
Isidoro continues to explain that despite the large national action plan for the eradication of child labor, the lack of commitment from the government makes the work difficult. He says: "The government is not committed to this, there is a lack of initiative and they do not give this the priority that they should. The first lady wants to get things moving but for that you need very specific objectives and political backing, which she hasn't got."

Valladares is also critical of the First Lady, saying: "The situation has not become any better because of the First Lady, a lot of what she is saying is just for show. What we need is action." such actions should be on top of the agenda, as they would benefit the country as a whole. He says: "Child labor is not only the effect of poverty it is also the reason for poverty. Things such as low productivity, low incomes and slow economic growth are the results of child labor."

	Honduras News -- Children

	Children Dumped by Society Boy working as a waste collector at the Municipal refuse dump By MALIN RISING Proposals for legal reforms regulating child labor are set to be brought into congress this month. But as the giant National Action Plan for Gradual and Progressive Eradication of Child Labor slowly rolls into motion, critics are already condemning it for being ineffective and children throughout the country continue to be used as cheap labor, sex slaves and household maids. On Tuesday morning at the Municipal refuse dump outside Tegucigalpa, a 12-year old girl is forced to endure the overwhelming stench of rubbish while searching through the trash for bits and pieces that she might be able to sell. Further along, a seven-year old boy is sitting down in the rubble while waiting for the next truck to arrive. As two of the nearly 300 children who regularly visit the site, they are forced to work to help their families survive and cannot afford to go to school. The cost of the school uniform alone is far more than they can afford.


	Their situation is by no means unique. Nearly 700 000 Honduran children are deprived of their right to a childhood and close to half of those work in jobs, which like the dump are classified as the worst forms of child labor. The National Action Plan for Gradual and Progressive Eradication of Child Labor, which was first set out as part of the Strategy for Poverty Reduction in 2001 have so far failed to address the acute needs of these children. For those who work at the dump, physical health hazards such as breathing in acidic fumes, carrying heavy loads and being infected with stomach bugs are part of their every day life. But the psychological effects of child labor are even more damaging, as Paulino Isidoro from IPEC explains: "When you force a child to grow up too quickly it has many psychological effects; it affects their self-esteem and often makes them depressed or aggressive." While many voices have raised the issue of the children at the dump for discussion, the American charity organization GOAL is alone in actively providing help at the site. Working with the children and their families they give economic assistance, food and school materials to enable the youngsters to go back to school and are disappointed with the lack of government support. GOAL Program Manager, Jorge Valladares says: "The government is not involved in any field work out here. The assistance of 50 Lempiras a month that they offer families is very bad and the program is not even working." GOAL Director Linda Ball agrees, saying: "The workshop mentality here is ridiculous, they have bookshelves full of fancy publications and lots of catered lunches but they don't actually go out and help." Instead of tackling the problems at the dump the government is planning to hand over the administration to a private enterprise and stop the public access. While such measures would remove the upfront problem, it is of little help to the children working at the dump, who rely on it for survival. Valladeres says: "The only thing that will happen if the dump is closed is that the children will be scattered around the city and be more difficult for us to reach out to. They might be forced into even worse forms of labor, such as prostitution." For 17-year old Maria, prostitution has already become a reality. Talking to Honduras This Week she tells of how she eventually got into the sex industry two months ago as she was struggling to afford going to High School. She says: "I need this job to eat. I don't have the opportunity to get another job because I'm in School, hopefully I won't be doing this for long." Working in a house with five other girls she says a school friend introduced her to the business and that it is a common way for girls her age to finance their studies. "I had two weeks when I didn't work, but I needed to pay for my school books so I went back to it. I don't want to drop out of High School because I want to be somebody; I want to be an architect." Regarding children like Maria who work in the sex industry, proposals for legal reforms are set to be brought into congress in October. The hope is that by removing old fashioned and abstract terms, it should become easier to protect the rights of the child. Yet, poverty remains the main reason behind child sexual labor and Isidoro among others, doubts the bid will lead anywhere. He says: "The proposal has the backing of all the international organizations but in the end the law is made by the congress and the government does not abide by its compromises; the laws are not being implemented." Isidoro continues to explain that despite the large national action plan for the eradication of child labor, the lack of commitment from the government makes the work difficult. He says: "The government is not committed to this, there is a lack of initiative and they do not give this the priority that they should. The first lady wants to get things moving but for that you need very specific objectives and political backing, which she hasn't got." Valladares is also critical of the First Lady, saying: "The situation has not become any better because of the First Lady, a lot of what she is saying is just for show. What we need is action." such actions should be on top of the agenda, as they would benefit the country as a whole. He says: "Child labor is not only the effect of poverty it is also the reason for poverty. Things such as low productivity, low incomes and slow economic growth are the results of child labor."