This document discusses child labour, defining it as work that is unsuitable or dangerous for children due to their age. It notes that not all child work should be considered child labour. The document then outlines different forms of child labour that exist worldwide, including in agriculture, mining, domestic work, and commercial sexual exploitation. It also discusses some of the key drivers that contribute to the persistence of child labour, such as barriers to education, cultural traditions, market demand for cheap labour, impacts of economic crises on households, and insufficient enforcement of laws and policies to protect children.

1. Child Labour

2. Child Labour
What is child labour?
• Child labour is defined in ILO Conventions.
It is work that children should not be
doing because they are too young to
work, or – if they are old enough to work
– because it is dangerous or otherwise
unsuitable for them.
• Not all work done by children should be
classified as child labour that is to be
targeted for elimination. Children’s or
adolescents’ participation in work that
does not affect their health and personal
development or interfere with their
education, is generally regarded as being
something positive.

3. Child Labour
• Whether or not particular
forms of “work” can be called
“child labour” depends on the
child’s age, the type and hours
of work performed and the
conditions under which it is
performed, as set out in the
ILO Conventions.
• There are many forms of child
labour worldwide. Children are
engaged in agricultural labour,
in mining, in manufacturing, in
domestic service, types of
construction, scavenging and
begging on the streets.

4. Child Labour
• Others are trapped in forms of slavery in armed conflicts, forced
labour and debt bondage (to pay off debts incurred by parents and
grandparents) as well as in commercial sexual exploitation and illicit
activities, such as drug trafficking and organized begging and in many
other forms of labour.
• Many of these are “worst forms” of child labour as they are especially
harmful, morally reprehensible, and they violate the child’s freedom
and human rights. Child labour tends to be concentrated in the
informal sector of the economy. For some work, children receive no
payment, only food and a place to sleep.
• Children in informal sector work receive no payment if they are injured
or become ill, and can seek no protection if they suffer violence or are
maltreated by their employer.

5. Child Labour
• Barriers to education – basic
education is not free in all
countries and is not always
available for all children,
especially in remote rural
areas. Where schools are
available, the quality of
education can be poor and
the content not relevant. In
situations where education is
not affordable or parents see
no value in education,
children are sent to work,
rather than to school.

6. Child Labour
• Culture and tradition – with
few opportunities open to
children with more
education, parents are likely
to share a cultural norm in
which labour is seen as the
most productive use of a
child’s time. Children are
often expected to follow in
their parents’ footsteps and
are frequently summoned to
“help” other members of
the family, often at a young
age.

7. Child Labour
• Market demand – child
labour is not accidental.
Employers may prefer
to hire children because
they are “cheaper” than
their adult
counterparts, can be
dispensed of easily if
labour demands
fluctuate and also form
a docile, obedient work-
force that will not seek
to organize itself for
protection and support.

8. Child Labour
• The effects of income shocks on households – households that do not have
the means to deal with income shocks, such as natural disasters, economic
or agricultural crises or the impact of HIV, AIDS, may resort to child labour
as a coping mechanism. For example, millions of children have been
affected by the HIV pandemic. Many children live with HIV, while an even
larger number have been orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS. If a
parent falls ill due to HIV or AIDS related illnesses, the child may have to
drop out of school to care for family members. The phenomenon of child-
headed households is also associated with the HIV, AIDS epidemic as
orphaned children work to care for younger siblings.

9. Child Labour
• Inadequate/poor
enforcement of
legislation and
policies to protect
children – child
labour persists
when national laws
and policies to
protect children are
lacking or are not
effectively
implemented.

10. Child Labour