Child labour
Where can I find information about child labour?
Entry last updated: 13/01/21
Introduction
Putting young children to work in conditions that are usually considered unsafe or unhealthy is known as child labour. This includes work that is dangerous, illegal or prevents children from getting an education. Child labour was very common in the past. These days most societies believe child labour is wrong, but it remains a major issue in some parts of the world. This entry will give you information about where to find information about child labour, including facts and statistics, the benefits and disadvantages, industries that use child labour and children's rights.
Facts and statistics
Did you know that when this entry was published there were about 170 million children who were child labourers? Most of them work on farms that produce consumer goods like coffee, rubber, chocolate, cocoa and other crops. You can find facts and statistics similar to this on the following websites:
International Labour Organisation
The International Labour Organisation website has some good information on this topic.
- Go to the Topics tab at the top of the page.
- Select Child Labour.
To find a definition for child labour:
- Choose the What is child labour link, on the right hand side of the page.
- Use the bar on the left hand side of the page to find additional information e.g. Child labour statistics, Action against child labour etc.
Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.
This site provides data about how living conditions are changing around the world, and includes historical and current information about child labour.
- Type the keywords 'child labour' into the search bar at the top of the page.
Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. Usually it’s better to leave out small words like ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, e.g child labour. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.
Benefits and disadvantages
There are clearly many disadvantages associated with child labour, however some may argue that there are benefits too. The following databases provide information about the benefits and disadvantages of child labour.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context
A great place to search for different viewpoints is EPIC. EPIC is a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It’s put together especially for New Zealand school students and helps to answer questions like this. You may need a password from your school or local library to access it.
- To search this site, type the keywords 'child labor' into the search bar at the top of the page.
- As this is an American site, the American spelling of 'labour' will get the best results.
You will notice that the search results include resources that talk about the benefits of child labour, like the article Regulated Child Labor is Necessary in Developing Countries.
Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.
This is another great site to use as it has a number of articles from magazines, journals and encyclopedias about child labour.
There are two ways to search this site:
- Find the box on the home page called Women, Children, and the Family, choose View All and select Child Labor.
- Type the keywords 'child labor' into the search bar at the top of the page.
Industries that use child labour
As mentioned earlier, child labour is used in many different industries around the world.
United States Bureau of International Labor Affairs
This site has an American focus as it's a United States government website. However, it contains a useful table that lists different countries and the goods they produce using child labour.
- Enter the keywords 'child labor goods' into the search bar at the top of the page.
- Click on List of Good Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in the search results.
- Look down the Exploitation Type column for goods using Child Labor.
Tips: A website’s address (URL) can give you a hint about how reliable it is. Look for addresses in the results that include .gov or .edu in the URL. These are quality sites from overseas government or educational organisations.
This British news website has a number of current news articles that talk about different industries that use child labour, around the world.
- Type the keywords 'child labour industries' in the search bar to view all the articles about child labour, by the Guardian.
Tips: Most of the websites included in this entry contain information about industries that use child labour. If you need more information, don't forget to check the other websites in this entry too!
Children's rights
Child labour can also be thought of as a human rights issue whenever children are put in dangerous or harmful situations. Most people agree that children have the right to be safe and healthy, and have access to education.
Another EPIC resource. This is an online encyclopedia that contains useful information on a range of topics including children's rights.
- Click the Middle reading level
- Type the keywords 'children's rights' into the search bar at the top of the page.
Tips: If the information you find is too easy or too hard, click on the numbers at the top of the page to adjust the reading level.
There are a number of organisations that have been set up to deal with issues concerning children. UNICEF promote the rights and welfare of children throughout the world. This website contains a lot of information about children's rights and the actions UNICEF are taking to promote the protection of children's rights.
- Type the keywords 'children's rights' into the search bar at the top of the page.
- You can filter your search results by year, format, topics and locations.
Books
There are a number of books and stories that have been written about child labour - check out your local public or school library to see what they have there.
Here are some recommended titles:
- The little hero: one boy's fight for freedom: Iqbal Masih's story by Andrew Crofts
- Before their time: the world of child labour by David L. Parker
- Breaker boys: how a photograph helped end child labor by Michael Burgan.
