What rights do children have to be protected against child labour?
The right of a child to be protected against harmful labour is both explicitly and implicitly defined in a number of international agreements, from the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to the ILO Convention’s 182 and 138. Q: Isn’t child labour necessary for a country until it reaches a certain level of development? A: No, no evidence supports the theory that children must work to earn for a thriving industry, until economic growth and technological advancement create their replacement. Child labour can be seen to actually hinder growth: blocking educational opportunities, decreasing technological innovation, perpetuating poverty and damaging the future adult workforce. Child labour inhibits the productive potential of a country’s citizens by interfering with education, damaging health and skill development, and affecting attitudes. Higher human capital yields higher adult labour income. But a child that supplies more labour and receives less education will have less human ca
