"Are children's rights your business?", 14 July 2017

...Children’s rights go beyond child labor. “Children under the age of 18 account for almost a third of the world’s population. Businesses, big or small, have an effect on children’s lives, directly or indirectly... ,” Unicef Philippines Representative Lotta Sylwander says.

Forty percent of the Philippine population consists of children (below 18) and 35.5 percent of them live in poverty. Out-of-school children were at 1.2 million in 2015. A European Commission-funded study noted the incidence of child labor in mining communities at 14.2 percent, with children as young as five years old.

UNICEF, Save the Children and Global Compact developed the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBPs) in 2012.

The CRBPs identify a range of actions business should take, taking into account business’ impact on children in the workplace, marketplace, community and environment... 

Business can take concrete steps to respect and support children’s rights. Microsoft has been using technology to find solutions to the challenge of child sexual exploitation online. Adidas has been managing the challenge of child labor in its supply chain and invests significantly in the countries from which it sources its products.

Companies can first adopt a “child’s rights lens”, understand where their activities have the most impact, and determine how each principle is relevant....