Child Labour

INTRODUCTION – Why is this a Global Justice Issue?

All children and young people around the world are protected by laws that give them rights to things like education, safety, a voice in the decisions taken concerning them, and to space and time to play.

However, for tens of millions of children around the world, those basic rights are at risk because they have to work. Teaching about the topic of child labour can be an impetus for classroom discussions about universal children’s rights and responsibilities. Focusing on the issues around working children and child labour can also help develop qualities such as empathy, fairness, and integrity and mobilise students to take action on the injustices that children face globally. Across the world, tens of millions of children do extremely hazardous work in harmful conditions, putting their health, education, personal and social development, and even their lives at risk.