What is child labour?
Q: What is child labour?
A: Child labour is when children are forced to work like adults and take part in an economic activity.
Q: How old do people have to be for the term 'child labour' to apply?
A: According to the ILO International Labour Organization, the term applies to people up to age thirteen, or seventeen in case of dangerous work.
Q: What kind of work can be considered child labour?
A: Work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful can be considered child labour. This includes activities such as working in tea stalls, restaurants, hotels and other small shops, or working in huge factories like brick factories.
Q: Why does child labor occur?
A: The main reason why child labor occurs is poverty. Children may be required to work long hours and in humiliating clothing due to their families' financial situation.
Q: How many children are affected by child labor?
A: Estimates suggest that up to 350 million children are affected by child labor worldwide. Eight million of these are affected by the worst forms of it such as being used for human trafficking or debt bondage.
Q: Where does most of this type of work take place?
A: More than three quarters of this type of work takes place in the sector of agriculture or has something to do with activities done at home within a family context.
Q: Did this form of exploitation exist before industrialisation and globalisation?
A: Yes, this form of exploitation existed before industrialisation and globalisation but they have made it more visible.
