An introduction to child labour

 

Not all work done by children should be classified as child labor that is to be targeted for elimination. The participation of children or adolescents above the minimum age 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 includes activities such as assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays. These kinds of activities contribute to children’s development and to the welfare of their families; they provide them with skills and experience and help to prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life.

The term “child labor” 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: 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.

Whether or not particular forms of “work” can be called “child labor” depends on the child’s age, the type and hours of work performed, the conditions under which it is performed and the objectives pursued by individual countries. The answer varies from country to country, as well as among sectors within countries.

Hazardous child labor or hazardous work is the work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety, or morals of children.

- work which exposes children to physical, psychological, or sexual abuse;

- work underground, under water, at dangerous heights, or in confined spaces;

- work with dangerous machinery, equipment, and tools, or which involves the manual handling or transport of heavy loads;

- work in an unhealthy environment which may, for example, expose children to hazardous substances, agents, or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels, or vibrations damaging to their health;

- work under particularly difficult conditions such as working for long hours or during the night or work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises of the employer.