What Does Child Labor Mean?

It may be a common term, but what does child labor mean? What are the markers of child labor? The International Labor Organization (ILO) defines child labor as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.”1

Not all child labor is negative though. The ILO recognizes that tasks like chores around the house are just fine:

“Assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays” can “contribute to children’s development” “provide them with skills and experience, and help prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life.”2 These activities are not considered child labor.

Children ages 5 to 11 comprise up to half of all forced child labor.

More than 134 million children involved in forced labor are in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Though these are just estimates. It’s difficult to accurately count these numbers because child labor is often hidden to avoid legal consequences or other repercussions. The census data often only includes children who are part of families. Many children in child labor, such as orphans and children living on the streets, are not counted in the data. Therefore, it’s often assumed that the actual numbers are likely quite higher than statistics indicate.

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