Child Labour

Child labour is work that harms children or keeps them from attending school.

Characteristics of Child Labour

• Violates a nation’s minimum age laws
• Threatens children’s physical, mental, or emotional well-being
• Involves intolerable abuse, such as child slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labour, or illicit activities
• Prevents children from going to school
• Uses children to undermine labour standards

Of an estimated 215 million child labourers around the globe: approximately 114 million are in Asia and the Pacific; 14 million live in Latin America; and 65 million live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Child labour can be found in nearly every industry.

Agriculture

Manufacturing

Mining

Domestic Service

Hotels, Restaurants, and Retail

Child Labour is Decreasing

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Eritrea

• World’s most closed countries, with a government known for its terrible human rights record.
• Mahtot
• Mandatory military service
• Forced labourers at Bisha
• No intention to reform its child labour practices.

Somalia

• Over two decades of civil war and endemic poverty.
• Child soldiers
• Both al-Shabab and the Transitional Federal Government have continued to commit serious abuses against children.
• Signed a plan of action.

Myanmar

• Stressed by a series of internal conflict.
• Slow progress.
• Limited enforcement.
• Child soldiers and victims of sex trafficking.

Afghanistan

• Brick-making, carpet-weaving, mining, and construction.
• At risk of being killed or injured.
• Drug mules, soldiers, and commercial sexual explitation.
• Vaguely written laws.

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What Can You Do?

As a consumer...

As a Student...

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that
“Child labour, in its intolerable forms, constitutes a kind of violence that is less obvious than others but it is not for this reason any less terrible.”

Child labour also defies the church’s teaching of the common good. The common good refers to the good of everyone in the community. The violation of these children is not showing good within the community as they have been deprived of a childhood and have been forced to be a part of this corrupt environment while being taken advantage of. The universal destination of goods refers to God’s creation being used to benefit everyone. The use of children for others benefit is misusing the creation God has created and is therefore, disobeying him.

It is only moral to look after and care for children until their bodies and minds are sufficiently developed. This includes education, food, shelter and support. The church’s social doctrine states that this child exploitation is a serious violation of a child’s dignity. Catholic social teaching tells us that we should live in a just society. This slavery these children are forced to undergo opposes the teaching as the world they live in is unjust and unfair, full of violation and violence.

Luke 18:15-17


"Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Pope Appeals to the End of Child Labour

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Together we pray that:
Single parent households, often headed by women who are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, are cared for and helped to find ways out of poverty.
Child-headed households, where children have to work hard to keep the family going, will be given support.
All children, regardless of their financial situations, can experience an education where their spiritual, physical, emotional and academic needs are met.
Together we pray that:
Those elected to government, and leaders would be moved with compassion for the needs of the next generation.
God’s righteousness and justice would be the foundation for government and business structures, no matter what the religious beliefs of those in positions of power.