Children who work are often separated from their families, exposed to
dangerous substances, harsh working conditions and higher risk of
mistreatment, violence, physical and psychological abuse.
Child domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to trafficking,
forced labour and sexual violence and many children face potential
health consequences, including respiratory ailments, joint problems,
loss of hearing and vision, poisoning and sexually transmitted diseases.
Globally, as many as 168 million children between ages 5-17 are child
labourers, with 85 million in hazardous child labour – forced labour,
trafficking and bonded labour.
Many child labourers never go to school or drop out. Lack of access to
education perpetuates a cycle of exploitation, illiteracy and poverty –
limiting future options and forcing children to accept low wage work as
adults and to raise their own children in poverty. Despite these
consequences, there are still 46 countries that do not legally protect children under the age of 18 from performing hazardous work.
Education is the best tool for preventing child labour. We will not
eliminate child labour without scaling-up and accelerating our efforts
to get all children access to quality education. Conversely, without
solutions for families that see child labour as key to their basic
survival, it will be impossible to achieve universal primary education
as promised in Millennium Development Goal 2, let alone the more
ambitious Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of ensuring inclusive
and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning.
There are many factors that push children into the workforce but it's
not a coincidence that countries with the highest burden of children
out-of-school – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan – also have the
highest numbers of child labourers. Regionally, Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest proportion of child labourers (27% of children aged 5 to 14 years) as well was the largest out-of-school population – 30.1 million primary school-aged children.
Poverty and marginalisation are the main drivers of child labour.
Children in poor circumstances work because work is perceived 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.
23% of children in low-income countries were engaged in child labour in
2012, compared to 6% in upper middle-income countries. (12 - UNESCO.
(2015). EFA GMR: 2015).
These key drivers of child labour – poverty, discrimination and
marginalisation – are exacerbated in conflict and emergency settings.
Conflict disintegrates socio-economic structure, increasing poverty
level and the potential for children to be engaged in harmful work. Children,
especially boys, are abducted and forcefully recruited as child
soldiers. In some of the worst cases girls are forced into sex slavery
as ‘wives’ for militants. Children are also sold into bonded or forced
labour in the hopes that resources gained will enable other family
members to survive.
More than five 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. In Jordan, for example, nearly half of refugee families report relying partially or completely on income generated by a child.
There has been progress. Since 2000, the number of child labourers has fallen by one third. However, in the wake of the global financial crisis, child labour may be on the rise again.
Strategies to end child labour include the strengthening of legal
protections for children and minorities, strengthening protections for
all workers(18 -
when parents are able to improve conditions and secure a fair wage, children are far less likely to have to work) and increasing access to at least a basic education including by providing economic incentives for keeping children in school.
In particular, ensuring that primary education is free and compulsory
and that other costs such as uniforms, books and travel are not a
barrier for poor children or a disproportionate burden on poor families.
Children belong in the classroom – not working in hazardous conditions,
forced to sacrifice their childhood and prospects for a better future
just to keep their families alive. Prioritising education is the best
way to ensure future generations of children are not condemned to
childhoods of hard labour and slave-like conditions rather than being
afforded the dignity and opportunity which is their due through
education. Every child should be in school.
