Child Labor Robs Children of Their Futures
UNICEF works alongside partners to protect children from child labor and other forms of exploitation and abuse.
What is child labor?
Child labor is defined as work that is done by someone who is too young, or work that, based on the nature or circumstances, is harmful to a child's physical or mental health, social or educational development.
What are the risks for a child laborer?
A child engaged in hazardous work risks bodily and mental harm, even death. Child labor can lead to slavery and sexual or economic exploitation. In nearly every case, it cuts children off from schooling and health care, restricting their fundamental rights.
How prevalent is child labor?
There are an estimated 160 million children engaged in child labor, according to UNICEF and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
In the world's poorest countries, slightly more than 1 in 5 children aged 5 to 17 are engaged in labor that is considered detrimental.
In sub-Saharan Africa, slightly more than 1 in 4 children aged 5 to 17 years are engaged in child labor. In Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, child labor rates are much lower, at 1 in 20.
What drives child labor worldwide?
Most often, child labor is a product of poverty. It often occurs when families are facing financial insecurity due to a sudden illness or job loss.
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. For girls, the threat of sexual exploitation looms large, while armed forces or groups may exploit boys.
Is child labor a problem in the United States?
Yes — child labor is a growing problem in the United States due to higher living costs and an expanding population of vulnerable children.
UNICEF USA developed a compliance framework to help companies address child labor violations in the U.S. corporate supply chain. Designed for a broad range of stakeholders — including legal and compliance, supply chain, sustainability and human resources professionals — the framework aligns with international standards and covenants as well as U.S. regulatory guidance.
Related: UNICEF USA Report: Child-Centered Solutions to Address Child Labor in the U.S.
Are there laws against child labor?
The issue of child labor is guided by two International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions — ILO Convention No. 138, which sets a minimum age for employment, and ILO Convention No. 182, which prohibits and calls for immediate action to eliminate the worst forms of child labor — and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
These conventions frame the concept of child labor and form the basis for child labor legislation enacted by signatory nations.
Video: Child labor in Yemen — one boy's experience
In Yemen, the number of out-of-school children has doubled due to protracted armed conflict, which erupted in 2015 and has left more than 2 million school-age children out of the classroom, jeopardizing their futures.
In the city of Taizz, in Yemen's southwest, 12-year-old Anas's childhood effectively ended the day his father died. That's when he became his family's sole breadwinner.
I stopped studying because there is no one to support my family. — Anas of Taizz, Yemen, age 12
Working from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in an iron workshop leaves little time for studying, so Anas was forced to drop out of school. But he is determined that his younger brothers continue their educations so they can fulfill their dreams.
"I stopped studying because there is no one to support my family," he says. "I made my four brothers study ... so that they graduate from universities and get jobs."
UNICEF is on the ground in Yemen, working with partners to protect children like Anas and his brothers, so they have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Related: What UNICEF is doing in Yemen to support and protect children.
UNICEF: working with partners to eliminate child labor and safeguard children's rights
UNICEF helps keep children safe from child labor by:
- supporting vulnerable families with multipurpose humanitarian cash transfers, which can be used to help cover school fees and basic household expenses, easing income pressures on parents — and helping them avoid negative coping mechanisms like sending children to work
- working to improve children's access to formal or non-formal education and providing learning materials and other support to students, teachers and classrooms to ensure quality
- working with governments to adopt and implement laws, regulations and policies that protect children from child labor and other forms of exploitation and abuse
Learn more about how UNICEF works to safeguard children's rights.
HOW TO HELP
There are many ways to make a difference
War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.
Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.
