Child labour
Where can I find information about child labour?
(Years 7-10)
Image: Young Boy Seamstress, Faisalabad Pakistan by Adam Cohn on Flickr.
Entry last updated: 10/07/25
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 child labour, including facts and statistics, the benefits and disadvantages, industries that use child labour, child labour in New Zealand and children's rights.
Facts and statistics
Did you know that when this entry was published there were about 160 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 other facts and statistics on these websites.
International Labour Organisation
This UN agency exists to help make sure workers around the world are safe and treated fairly. Their website has lots of information about child labour.
Choose the Topics tab at the top of the page, and go to Child Labour.
Select What is child labour on the right hand side of the page for a definition.
For current statistics, choose the Publications link on the right hand side of the page.
Then select the report Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward - Executive Summary.
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 this website. 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.
Enter the keywords 'child labor' into the search bar at the top of the page.
Choose the page Child labor.
Look down the page to see graphs and diagrams.
Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. Sometimes words are spelled differently in different countries, eg 'labour' or 'labor', so it can help to try both spellings. 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 sites provide information about the benefits and disadvantages of child labour.
Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context)
This website is one of the EPIC resources. 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. It provides different points of view on social issues like child labour.
Enter 'child labor' into the search bar at the top of the page (this is an American site so the American spelling of 'labor' will get the best results).
Search results include articles that discuss how child labour can be important for developing countries, like Banning Sweatshops Only Hurts the Poor.
Global Issues (Gale In Context)
This is another great site from EPIC and it has a number of articles from magazines, journals and encyclopedias about child labour, including the impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic on child labour.
Go to Browse Issues and select Child Labor (or enter 'child labor' into the search bar at the top of the page).
Find articles like Child labour thrives on pandemic.
Tips: To get to these 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.
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 Goods 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.
Search using the keywords 'child labour industries' to find articles about child labour.
Tips: Most of the websites included in this entry contain information about industries that use child labour. If you need more information, remember to check the other websites in this entry too!
Child labour in New Zealand
Children have always worked in New Zealand. The websites below have information on the changes that have taken place to improve children's working conditions, and how New Zealand approaches the issue of child labour in countries that are trade partners.
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. If we look down to the bottom of the page, we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.
Select the tab Stories A-Z.
Choose the story City children and youth.
Go to Working children.
Australia New Zealand Reference Centre Plus
Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre is another EPIC resource. It has up-to-date articles from major New Zealand daily newspapers.
Enter "child labour" (use speech marks to search for both words as a phrase).
Add the words New Zealand to find articles from New Zealand newspapers.
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.
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.
Select the Middle reading level.
Enter 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 change the reading level.
UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of children throughout the world. This website has lots of information about children's rights and the actions UNICEF are taking to protect those rights.
Use the keywords 'children's rights' in the search bar at the top of the page.
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.
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.
SCIS no: 1832657
