Child Labor

Over 70 million children ages 5-17 are engaged in some sort of hazardous labor today, with over half of that population being under 14 years old.¹ Africa is the continent with highest number of children involved in some sort of labor, with Asia and the Pacific close behind.² Agriculture is the largest sector that employs children, accounting for 59 percent of the world’s child laborers.³ However, the services sector employs 54 million children, and the industry sector accounts for 12 another million.⁴ Boys are at a greater risk of becoming child laborers than girls, yet girls are more likely to be involved in household work or in the commercial sex industry.⁵ An estimated 22,000 child laborers are killed in industries such as mining, construction, manufacturing, prostitution and agriculture each year.⁶ Along with immediate physical dangers in exposure to toxins and dangerous machinery, child laborers also face long-term health risks like cancer, infertility and chronic pain,⁷ while also being less likely to attend school or have access to proper nutrition.⁸