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What Is Child Labor

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Community Prevention of Child Labor

Part of the book series: Human Well-Being Research and Policy Making ((HWBRPM))

Abstract

In this chapter, we define the concept of child labor according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), which refers to those work activities carried out by children that interfere with their physical and psychological development. We first review some cases where early initiation into work contributes to the development of personal skills and the acquisition of local ecological knowledge. This leads us to consider two factors that are fundamental in the definition of the concept: (a) the conditions under which the work activity takes place and (b) the impact of the work on the continuation of compulsory education. Finally, we refer to the “worst forms of child labor”, as well as to the groups that suffer a situation of greater vulnerability, such as street children.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The performance of household chores, in which girls are in the majority, is not counted as child labor.

  2. 2.

    ILO Convention 182, Article 3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Psicología Social, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    Isidro Maya Jariego

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  1. Isidro Maya Jariego
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Maya Jariego, I. (2021). What Is Child Labor. In: Community Prevention of Child Labor. Human Well-Being Research and Policy Making. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70810-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70810-8_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-70809-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-70810-8

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