According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the term “child labour” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. It refers to work that both is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and/or interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. In its worst forms, child labour involves children being enslaved (for example selling and trafficking children, or forcing children to participate in armed conflict). In many cases, children are separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities – often at a very early age. Nowadays, child labour remains a salient human rights issue that we need to resolve!
However, it is worth noting that not all work done by children is classified as child labour. The participation of children or adolescents above the minimum age (i.e. 15 years old) for admission to employment in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling, is generally regarded as being something positive. This can, for example, refer to assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours or during school holidays. These kinds of activities contribute to children’s development and to the welfare of their families, and provide them with skills and experience, which is helpful when preparing to become productive members of the society during adult life. Whether or not we can classify particular forms of “work” as “child labour” depends on the child’s age, the type and hours of work performed (light or hazardous), the conditions under which it is performed and the objectives pursued by individual countries.
Notwithstanding the numerous efforts made by international organizations, companies, NGOs and businesses, among others, to tackle the issue of child labour, it is still a very common phenomenon. According to ILO, 160 million children are involved in child labour worldwide (almost one in ten!), and 79 million children are doing work which is hazardous. ILO and UNICEF (2020) suggest that over 70% of child labour worldwide is found in agriculture and some of the most common risks for children working on farms include handling pesticides and fertilisers, carrying heavy loads, and unguarded machines. In addition, child labour occurs across every region in the world with 5.4% of children in the Americas, 7.4% of children in Asia/Pacific and 19.6% of children in Africa are in child labour.
Very often, children lack voice and visibility. Therefore, meaningful societal stakeholder engagement is a critical requirement to end the issue of child labour. To end child labour the ILO and UNICEF are specifically suggesting to provide adequate social protection for all, including universal child benefits; increased spending on quality education and getting all children back into school – including those who were out of school before COVID-19 as well as the promotion of decent work for adults, so families do not have to resort to children helping to generate family income. It is also of great importance to raise wider awareness of the international labour standards, laws and regulations, education policies, enterprise policies and closer monitoring of supply chains, local regulations grounded in the “hazardous work lists”, and active worker associations even in rural areas. We also need a growing sense worldwide that having children doing hazardous work can no longer be tolerated in a modernizing and globally connected society.
Maria Charalampous is a published academic, Lecturer and Researcher, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and Master’s and PhD in Occupational and Organizational Psychology. Maria’s research expertise in the areas of remote e-working, technology use and its relationship to wellbeing at work, as well as inclusivity at work for people with disability and neurodiversity. Maria is a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, and is also an accredited BPS test user for Ability and Personality/Psychometric testing. Maria’s aspiration is to contribute in making work the best, the most inclusive, and the most fulfilling it can be.