What works to eliminate child labour?
What the evidence tells us about ensuring children are learning and not working
Child labour has been declining in many parts of the world, but in many regions, progress has stagnated, reversed, or is in danger of reversal in the absence of robust policy responses.1 COVID-19 has increased the risk of child labour, given economic insecurities, health shocks, school closures and service disruptions over 2020-2022. Children, particularly girls, also work within the home and often spend long hours supporting adults with domestic chores, which is invisible and undercounted. These demands on children’s labour, whether paid or unpaid, can affect their participation and learning in school and can adversely impact their physical and mental health and future opportunities.
Education can play a key role as part of a multi-sectoral approach to end child labour through supporting children’s learning, socialisation and development. Globally, education expansion has been associated with declines in child labour. Yet more needs to be done to strengthen this association to ensure every child is in school, learning, and not in the fields or factories, working.
What does the evidence suggest?
- Providing regular and adequate cash transfers through social protection programmes can simultaneously address household poverty and encourage school participation, thus contributing to the elimination of child labour.2
- Investing in quality accessible education is key. Providing adequate scholarships or school meals contributes to reducing children’s work by making school more affordable. Extending the duration of the school day can reduce child labour by increasing time in school.3 Combining education and apprenticeships has been effective in getting older children back in school and improving their employment opportunities later in life.4 Reducing gender inequalities in access to and completion of all levels of schooling is essential to reduce girls’ contribution to unpaid care and domestic work. Educating both girls and boys will bring benefits for families and their communities and allow sustainable development for countries.5, 6
- Ensuring better wages and working conditions for parents and ensuring formalized market structures is critical. Formal economies generate more tax revenues that can support financing of social protection and education.6
Note: These findings are key takeaways based on research undertaken by UNICEF Innocenti and selected research reports published by UNICEF and ILO in the past five years (see references below)
Recommendations for policy and practice
"Child labour has long-term negative effects on children, depriving them of leisure, play, and education. To ensure healthy childhood development and a safe transition to adulthood, we must invest in preventing and eliminating child labour. This requires a comprehensive approach that focuses on securing family livelihoods, reducing economic stress and uncertainty and improving services for all children."
"In order to achieve Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to eliminate all forms of child labour by 2025, we must accelerate actions against child labour in Africa. African countries need to address informality, extend social protection to all, improve legal enforcement mechanism, increase access to free, basic, quality education and strengthen social dialogue."
"Three things are needed to end child labour. One, create strong support for child rights by mobilising families, employers, school teachers, and the entire community. Two, build a social norm in favour of children that denounces child labour and child marriage. Three, urge the State to fully invest in ensuring free and compulsory education up to the age of 18 years as a fundamental right of every child."
References
1. ILO and UNICEF. Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward, ILO and UNICEF, New York, 2021.
2. ILO and UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, The role of social protection in the elimination of child labour: Evidence review and policy implications. Geneva and Florence: 3. International Labour Organization and UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, 2022.
4. Emezue, Chuka, et al., Child Work and Child Labour: The Impact of Educational Policies and Programmes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Florence, July 2023.
5. UNICEF, Ending child labour through a multisectoral approach, 2021.
6. Groppo, V, Kaplan, J, Subrahmanian, R et al. Eliminating Child Labour: Essential for Human Development and Ensuring Child Well-being. Task Force 5 Inequality, Human Capital and Well-being, T20 Indonesia, 2022.
7.Durban Call to Action on the Elimination of Child Labour, 5th Global Conference on the elimination of child labour, Durban, 15-20 May 2022.