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15 Appalling Facts About Child Labor

About 1 in every 5 children are engaged in some form of child labor in the world’s most poor economies. This is according to reports by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) formerly called the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.

Furthermore, UNICEF has also revealed that child labor cases reached a high of 160 million in 2021. There are more horrific realities about child labor. Find more insights below.

Here are the 15 Appalling Facts About Child Labor.

1. Child labor is on an upward trend

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According to a June 2021 report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, child labor cases had increased by 8.4 million children within four years. The report was titled Child Labour: Global Estimates 2020, Trends and the Road Forward.

Following the report’s findings, the number of children involved in child labor worldwide reached 160 million in 2021. This was a rise from the 152 million estimated cases in 2016.

2. Child labor begins as early as five years

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) data, children as young as five years old are victims of child labor. Thus depriving children of a proper childhood.

Child labor is as terrible a crime as Human Trafficking.

3. Many working conditions for child laborers are hazardous

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More than half of the child laborers are involved in hazardous work. This is a risk to the child’s health as well as development. Some of these dangerous conditions include long working hours with few breaks. Also, exposure to chemicals and fumes can endanger their health, as well as accidents from machines.

The ILO defines hazardous child labor in Article 3 (d)of ILO Convention No. 182 under the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999, as (d) 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.

4. Boys are more affected by child labor than girls

Statistics prove that the number of boys who serve as child laborers is more than the number of girls in the same activity. This trend recurs for all different age groups from 5 years old to 17 years old. Boys engage in agriculture and industry activities while girls tend to take up services like domestic activities.

5. The agricultural sector is synonymous with child labor

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This sector employs child laborers in large numbers, accounting for 60-70% of the total number of child laborers worldwide. Many of these children are involved in subsistence and commercial farming and others in livestock herding.

6. Poverty is a key contributor to child labor

Though many factors lead to child labor, poverty is among its root causes. It is due to extreme situations of poverty that children are forced to search for some kind of income-generating activity for survival or to add to their family’s finances.

Moreover, the other factors that lead to child labor are such as parental illiteracy. Also in regions where cheap labor is readily available or unorganized labor structures exist, child labor thrives.

7. Child labor denies children the right to education

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When children start working at a very young age, they forego their academics. Hence they opt to work rather than attend school depriving them of education and the opportunities that come thereof. The result is the unending cycle of poverty and illiteracy in society.

Learn about the various education systems in the world.

8. Child labor is sometimes sparked by forced labor

Child laborers on many occasions are in some kind of forced labor. For instance, debt bondage whereby they are forced to work to repay a debt, or trafficking in which they are captured and forced to work as slaves. This may lead to lifelong servitude in the long run.

The U.S. federal law defines forced labor as all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer work or service voluntarily.

9. Conflict-prone zones trigger child labor

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Areas with a high prevalence of conflicts destroy the socio-economic environment. The ripple effect is the potential increase of the factors linked with child labor. Conflicts also affect those already involved in child labor as it exposes them to more harmful and dangerous environments.

10. Child labor can cause devastating health consequences

A 2018 report by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) revealed that child labor is associated with severe health outcomes. Thus it can cause poor growth, malnutrition, leukemia, neurologic impairment, and in some situations, lung cancer.

11. Child labor steals the freedom of childhood from victims

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Child laborers lose their essential rights such as the right to express themselves, the right to protection, and more. It also denies children the space to behave as children including play, rest, and safety.

Over and above that, the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) has 54 articles that dictate children’s rights and how governments ought to protect them.

Some of UNCRC’s children’s rights include:

• Life, survival, and development
• Protection from violence, abuse, or neglect
• An education that enables children to fulfill their potential
• Be raised by, or have a relationship with, their parents
• Express their opinions and be listened to

12. The number of child laborers is beyond the known statistics

There are many ways in which child labor occurs and hidden labor which includes domestic work is often difficult to detect. Thus the number of child laborers in domestic work is challenging to gather and many times the matter is less addressed.

13. There is a link between child labor and mental health

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Various psychological effects come with child labor. Mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, drug dependency, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low confidence, antisocial behavior, and sleep deprivation.

Delve deeper into the mental health subject and learn the effects of stress on your health.

14. Child laborers have to endure deprived working terms

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Child labor laws in many countries lack a proper structure of enforcement leading to desperation among the child laborers. Thus they have to contend with long working hours and low pay since they are not protected by a legal framework.

15. Child labor takes away the potential of generations

The child laborers are robbed of their youthful talent and skills. This is because their prime time to explore and practice their gifting is lost due to their engagements as child laborers.

These shocking facts about child labor prove it is a worldwide concern. Thus making it a global responsibility demanding collaboration from governments, businesses, civil societies, and individuals worldwide.