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Child Labor: Exploited and Abused Youth at Work

NCJ Number
180168
Author(s)
Georgia McCauley
Editor(s)
Laura Barnitz
Date Published
1998
Length
38 pages
Annotation
Millions of young people around the world are forced into demanding labor at far too early an age; they are often separated from their families, subjected to abuse, denied education, and forced to work in conditions adults would not tolerate.
Abstract
The International Labour Organization (ILO) indicates that child labor is the single most important source of child exploitation and abuse and that making the distinction between working children and child laborers is central to understanding and solving the exploitation of children in the workplace. The ILO estimates that 250 million children between 5 and 14 years of age work in developing countries, and Africa has the highest incidence of working children. Moreover, ILO research indicates that the less industrialized a country is, the greater the number of child laborers employed. Occupations and earnings of child laborers are noted, as well as factors that contribute to the problem of child labor and the damaging effects of child labor. A profile of child domestic servants in the informal labor sector is presented that addresses the plight of these children and the extent of their exploitation. Strategies to reduce child labor are examined, including the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, standards and guidelines promulgated by the ILO, and child labor advocacy. Resource organizations pertinent to child labor are listed. 33 endnotes and 2 tables