Child labour

 Child labour is still a cause of public concern. This article focuses on the relationship between poverty and child labour. Many children work to ensure the survival of their families and themselves. Furthermore, child labour today leads to poverty tomorrow: child labour perpetuates poverty and results in intergenerational poverty traps. Yet, policies banning child labour, even if they can be implemented, might harm the welfare of children and their families rather than help. This is why devising effective policies to address child labour is a challenging task and needs to tackle the root cause of the problem. 

Child labor is a prevalent global public health and human rights problem. It puts children at risk for acute and chronic health problems, in many cases prevents completion of formal education, and thwarts the right to freely choose economic opportunities. According to UNICEF, 218 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 years are classified as child laborers, and of these, 126 million are engaged in what the International Labor Organization calls the worst forms of child labor. This article will review the types of child labor, the health effects, human rights principles and international law, and what public health professionals can do to mitigate this problem.