How are child labour treated

Child labour | UNICEF

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Nearly 1 in 10 children are subjected to child labour worldwide, with some forced into hazardous work through trafficking.

UNICEF/UN0263808/Lister

Economic hardship exacts a toll on millions of families worldwide – and in some places, it comes at the price of a child’s safety. Roughly 160 million children were subjected to child labour at the beginning of 2020, with 9 million additional children at risk due to the impact of COVID-19.

This accounts for nearly 1 in 10 children worldwide. Almost half of them are in hazardous work that directly endangers their health and moral development.

Children may be driven into work for various reasons. Most often, child labour occurs when families face financial challenges or uncertainty – whether due to poverty, sudden illness of a caregiver, or job loss of a primary wage earner.

The consequences are staggering. Child labour can result in extreme bodily and mental harm, and even death. It can lead to slavery and sexual or economic exploitation. And in nearly every case, it cuts children off from schooling and health care, restricting their fundamental rights and threatening their futures.

Migrant and refugee children – many of whom have been uprooted by conflict, disaster or poverty – also risk being forced into work and even trafficked, especially if they are migrating alone or taking irregular routes with their families.

Trafficked children are often subjected to violence, abuse and other human rights violations. And some may be forced to break the law. For girls, the threat of sexual exploitation looms large, while boys may be exploited by armed forces or groups.

Children on the move risk being forced into work or even trafficked – subjected to violence, abuse and other human rights violations.

Whatever the cause, child labour compounds social inequality and discrimination, and robs girls and boys of their childhood. Unlike activities that help children develop, such as contributing to light housework or taking on a job during school holidays, child labour limits access to education and harms a child’s physical, mental and social growth. Especially for girls, the “triple burden” of school, work and household chores heightens their risk of falling behind, making them even more vulnerable to poverty and exclusion.

Key facts

The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years – with 9 million additional children at risk due to the impact of COVID-19.
Progress to end child labour has stalled for the first time in 20 years, reversing the previous downward trend that saw child labour fall by 94 million between 2000 and 2016.
The incidence of hazardous work in countries affected by armed conflict is 50% higher than the global average.
30 million children live outside their country of birth, increasing their risk of being trafficked for sexual exploitation and other work.

UNICEF’s response

UNICEF/UNI281125/Herwig Children largely from the ethnic Dom community learn in a UNICEF-supported centre in Jordan, in 2019. With many of their families living in poverty, these children become especially vulnerable to negative coping mechanisms, like working on the street. Centres play a key role in identifying children who face challenges and helping them to enroll in formal and non-formal education.

UNICEF works to prevent and respond to child labour, especially by strengthening the social service workforce. Social service workers play a key role in recognizing, preventing and managing risks that can lead to child labour. Our efforts develop and support the workforce to identify and respond to potential situations of child labour through case management and social protection services, including early identification, registration and interim rehabilitation and referral services.

We also focus on strengthening parenting and community education initiatives to address harmful social norms that perpetuate child labour, while partnering with national and local governments to prevent violence, exploitation and abuse.

With the International Labour Organization (ILO), we help to collect data that make child labour visible to decision makers. These efforts complement our work to strengthen birth registration systems, ensuring that all children possess birth certificates that prove they are under the legal age to work.

Children removed from labour must also be safely returned to school or training. UNICEF supports increased access to quality education and provides comprehensive social services to keep children protected and with their families.

To address child trafficking, we work with United Nations partners and the European Union on initiatives that reach 13 countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Resources

Child labour

Explainer

This page introduces you to the issues surrounding child labour. It explains what child labour is, where and why children work and how working can prevent them from going to school and trap them in a cycle of poverty.

Sections

What is child labour?

Child labour is a global issue that prevents children from fulfilling their potential. Child labour is a violation of children’s rights – the work can harm them mentally or physically, expose them to hazardous situations or stop them from going to school.

Not all work done by children is classed as child labour. There is not an issue when a child is working to progress their life skills without compromising their health, their well-being or their education. Often older children may do chores for their parents or small jobs to earn pocket money or gain work experience. This work prepares them for their adult working life.

But around the world, millions of children do work in child labour. They work in fields, in factories, down mines, as servants or maids, or selling goods in the street or at markets. Girls are more likely than boys to do domestic work, such as cleaning, making food and serving.

The work that children can be forced to do might also be illegal – such as working with drug gangs or in prostitution. Many children may get no money for the work they do but they will get food and a place to sleep. If they become sick or injured, most children will not get any money for missing work.

All these forms of child labour can prevent a child from going to school and limit their opportunity to fulfil their potential. Many child labourers never go to school or drop out.

Education is a proven strategy for reducing child labour. Lack of access to education keeps the cycle of exploitation, illiteracy and poverty going – limiting future options and forcing children to accept low-wage work as adults and to raise their own children in poverty. Children who have access to education can break the cycle of poverty at the root of child labour.

Child labour is not always illegal

In many countries children working under the age of 18 is illegal – but not in all. Families and employers often hide what they are doing because they worry they will be taken to court or sent to prison for having child labourers.

There are 46 countries who do not have laws to protect children under 18 from doing dangerous work.

How many child labourers are there?

The International Labour Organization said in 2017 that about 152 million children aged from five to 17 – 64 million girls and 88 million girls – are engaged in child labour.

Many of them never go to school or drop out of school because they are required to work to earn a living for their families or have to work to survive themselves. The ILO said 70% work in agriculture, 17% in the services sector and 12% in industry.

About 10 million children are regarded as being trapped in modern slavery.

Why do children work?

Poverty, discrimination and marginalisation are the main drivers of child labour. Children in poor circumstances work because work is seen as the best use of their time in contributing to the needs of the family and preparing them for the life they are expected to lead.

Poverty leads millions of children into paying jobs or – especially for young girls – domestic work that may even be unpaid but removes the burden of feeding and housing the child.

In emergency situations – during or after conflicts or natural disasters – families who have had to flee from their homes often have to use their children to earn money just to pay for food.

What countries have child labourers?

Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan have the highest number of child labourers. They have also been affected for many years by wars and conflicts and have the highest numbers of children not at school.

Years of conflict in Syria has seen a dramatic increase in poverty among Syrian families and forced more children into the labour force, especially as refugees face restrictions to legal work from host country governments.

Child labourers doing hazardous jobs

At least 85 million children do very hazardous work – forced labour, trafficking and bonded labour.

Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs across the world but about one million children work in mines in appalling conditions that can lead to injury or death.

Children also work on building sites and in brick-making factories without proper health and safety rules. Children are at risk from machinery, chemicals, harsh working conditions and lots of other hazards.

Those who are forced to become soldiers or are slaves are treated very badly and suffer terrible physical and mental harm and abuse, as well as sexual exploitation. Child domestic workers are also at risk of sexual abuse and violence.

Child labour in emergencies

The most abusive forms of child labour become more widespread in conflict and emergency situations. Children, especially boys, are abducted and forcefully recruited as child soldiers or domestic servants for militant groups. Girls are forced into sex slavery as “wives” for militants, or pushed into prostitution or transactional sex as a means of survival.

The international labour organisation: A definition of the issue of child labour

World day against child labour: An authoritative explanation on why this day exists

How Humanity Exploits Child Labor: Society Articles ➕1, 06/10/2022

June 12 is celebrated annually as World Day Against Child Labor. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 160 million children were exploited in 2020. The spread of COVID-19, migration and economic crises only worsen this situation. Where they still turn the little inhabitants of the Earth into slaves - Plus-one.ru sorted it out.

Photo: iStock

Their number in 2020 was 86.6 million - that's 23.9% of all children in the region and slightly larger than the population of Germany (83.2 million people), the most populous EU country. This is every fourth child. The highest levels of child labor are recorded in Somalia (49% of all children under the age of 17) and Togo (48.9%), according to a Save the Children 2021 study.

Victims of child labor include, in particular, children aged 5-17 who work 43 hours or more per week, as well as those who are engaged in unpaid domestic work 21 or more hours per week. Many of the little slaves - 79million out of 160 million are involved in hazardous industries, including mining and construction.

For a long time, the Asia-Pacific region was the leader in the number of exploited girls and boys, but since 2008 the number of victims of child labor here has decreased by almost 2.5 times - by 65 million people. Today, 26.3 million children (5.5% of the total number in the region) are forced to work in the countries of Central Asia, 24.3 million (6.2%) in Southeast Asia.

Photo: iStock

About 112 million children are engaged in agriculture, the rest are involved in the service sector and in industrial enterprises. Of the 160 million victims of child labor, 122.7 million live in rural areas (70%). At the same time, 72% are operated by their own families.

Usually, poverty and the need to work from childhood deprive young slaves of the opportunity to receive an education: among the victims of child labor, 35% do not go to school.

Five problems that steal the future of children

What the rising generation needs to be protected from

Photo: iStock

The number of people involved in various modern forms of slavery was estimated at 40 million in 2018, of which a quarter were children. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 50% of victims of trafficking are subjected to sexual exploitation, almost 40% are involved in forced labor.

Africa and Southeast Asia were the top recipients of slave child labor, as noted in the 2018 FDA report. At the same time, 65% of slaves are usually resold within their native country, 15% are moved between regions. The main sources of cross-border traffic are Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asian countries. The recipients are Western and Southern Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Photo: iStock

Among the victims of child labor, there are 97 million boys and 63 million girls. However, this does not mean that life is easier for the little representatives of the weaker sex. Girls, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, are more likely to be sexually exploited: for which, in principle, they are bought - the percentage of girls rescued from slavery who experience this type of violence was estimated by the office in 2018 at 72%. The main "buyers" of small slaves for sexual pleasures are residents of South Asia, Central America and the Caribbean region, as well as North Africa and Central Asia.

Photo: iStock

Since the beginning of the 21st century, mankind has successfully managed to reduce the number of children forced to work - from 245 million in 2000 to 160 million in 2022. This was largely due to extensive social support measures. In 2020, 46.9% of the world's population used at least one of the social protection options. This assistance was least available to Africans (only 17.4% of the population could use it), the most - in Europe and Central Asia (83.9%).

However, a large-scale economic crisis, initially caused by COVID-19, according to experts, can greatly shake the situation due to the reduction of budgets allocated to support low-income families. As a result, the number of exploited children could increase by at least 9 million, and in the worst case by almost 46 million . 1 million, ILO experts are sure.

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Author

Margarita Fedorova

Child labor is a joy - Psychologos

January 01, 2006, 08:41

Author: N.I. Kozlov, Doctor of Psychology, Professor
Rector of the University of Practical Psychology

Bangladesh's 33 million children under 18 live below the poverty line and are forced to work.

Child labor is the involvement of children in work on a regular basis. Currently, in most countries, child labor is considered a form of exploitation and is illegal. The ban on the exploitation of child labor means that children are defenseless and child labor can turn into slave labor.

Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees “protection from economic exploitation and from the performance of any work that may endanger his health or interfere with his education, or be harmful to his health and physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development”

This is unacceptable. But it is also unacceptable when children are fenced off from adult life, do not have the opportunity to get to know it and, in fact, are brought up as parasites, convinced that adults are obliged to provide them with entertainment, and work sucks and the last thing. Who and how will such a boy grow up, what kind of husband and father will he become?

If you, dear parents, think that a preschool child is still too small, that he does not have enough strength to help his mother around the house, then do not confuse three different things: 1) the child cannot cope with one or another task; 2) the child does not want to do your business and wants to do what he is interested in; 3) you just feel sorry for the child. In translation: your child has learned to manipulate you and skillfully makes you feel uncomfortable and sorry for him when you pester him with what he does not need.

The girl loves it. And you?

When adults treat children in an adult way, it turns out that children can do a lot of things.

“I often saw a comical scene,” wrote the famous Russian traveler Miklukho-Maclay about the Papuans of New Guinea, “how a little boy of four years old seriously made a fire, carried firewood, washed dishes, helped his father clean the fruits, and then suddenly jumped up and ran to his mother, who was squatting at some kind of work, he grabbed her breasts and, despite resistance, began to suck.

The early involvement of children in working life is a characteristic feature of the peoples of primitive cultures. Among the Aztecs, the baby began to actively help adults from the age of three to five. Among modern Mexican Indians, a four-five-year-old girl is obliged to carry water, collect dishes after eating, watch the fire in the hearth, a boy - to collect fodder, look after animals, work in the field with his father.

In Alaska, two-year-olds carry small jugs of water into the house, and three-year-olds, if necessary, work with a sharp knife or axe.

Among the Australian Aborigines, a four-year-old boy receives from his parents a children's spear, boomerang, spear thrower and hunts small animals and birds. The girl collects root crops, cleans the hut, cooks food.

And here is how the researchers describe the kids hunting in the Congo:

“Lying on their backs, they hold some grains in the palm of their outstretched hand and patiently wait for hours for a bird to peck in order to grab it at the same moment. Another example. A rope is tied to a branch of a tree on which monkeys tend to frolic. Its end is held by one of the boys lurking below. Catching the moment when the monkey is about to jump onto the tied branch, the boy pulls it down, and the monkey falls flat on the ground, where the little hunters finish it off.

Conclusion: even our small children are talented not only in mastering iPads, but in any business they start to do.

Household duties
Teaching a child to good habits
Child development
Author N.I. Kozlov

Comments (5):

Joker, September 01, 2013, 18:46

As for hazardous industries, I agree categorically! Children don't belong there. As for permanent work, I am also against it, because studying at school in itself is quite hard work for a child. And to load into obyazalovka something else - in any case! But with the fact that children should never work in any way (I mean for money), I disagree categorically! I myself earned my first 3.5 rubles during the holidays from the third to the fourth grade. This despite the fact that the family was not poor, they just wanted their money. I went to the "experimental field" in Minusinsk. There they recruited people to loosen the beds with choppers. For three four-hour working days (I couldn’t stand it anymore) I earned the above amount, which was sold for soda and ice cream over the next two days (which surprised me very much), but most importantly, I realized what it was like to earn my ruble. I have no regrets about that episode of my childhood. The next money I earned was already at the technical school at the age of 16 (I worked as a helmsman on a combine harvester) and I think that a child should have the opportunity to work for money during the holidays from a very young age. There is a gigantic educational moment in this. Understanding what it costs his parents all these playstations and phones, as well as getting dressed and eating - simply will not come in another way! No way!

Dmitry, March 10, 2015, 1:36 pm

The article shows examples of primitive cultures, but is this an example? These cultures are still primitive. In my environment, I find it difficult to name people who would involve preschoolers in homework on a regular basis (with the exception of cleaning toys after themselves). In principle, this question worries me a little, since there are two girls from the children and let the wife teach them to do housework, if she has the time and desire for this.

Maxim, March 10, 2015, 2:45 pm

Dmitry, an article about something else. To accustom children to household chores or not is up to you, the article says that for children there is nothing difficult and terrible in this. Labor is a natural form of life, and our children are quite capable of it.

Guest, January 10, 2018, 4:00 pm

The point is that work is different from work. The rejection of child labor began earlier than its ban: not because children are sorry, but because there are no jobs for them on the market. A child can (and even with pleasure) carry water from a river or make a fire - but in a developed society this is a pointless exercise. But a child for a job that requires qualification / strength and endurance - this is just both dangerous and scary. For others as well.

Guest, October 13, 2018 8:13 PM

I live in an amazing time. A time when a lot of adults treat children like they are incompetent morons. Sometimes I think that Papuan parents are much more sensible towards their children than Europeans. When children can and want to act, they are not allowed to do so. And then, when they no longer want anything, they accuse and reproach with idleness and unwillingness.

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