Child labor is a problem throughout the world, especially in developing countries.

It is difficult to say how many children are involved. A report released by the International Labor Organization, estimates that there are 250 million child laborers between the ages of 5 and 14. 120 million of them are working full-time and 130 million children work part-time.

Now, why do children work? Why are they deprived of the simple joys of childhood?

Children work for a variety of reasons, the most important being poverty. Though children are not well paid, they contribute to family income in developing countries. For example, minors in Paraguay contribute almost a quarter of the total family income.

Some highly publicized cases have recently brought attention to the problem of illegal child labour in export industries, such as clothing production and carpet weaving. Most child laborers, however, do not work in the export industry. Many work in unregulated and unsupervised parts of the economy, such as in agriculture or domestic service.

More than 120 million children, more than half of them girls are not in school.

Schooling problems also contribute to child labor. Many children seek employment because there is no access to schools. When there is access, the low quality of the education often makes attendance a waste of time for the students. Schools in many developing areas suffer from overcrowding.

(a) Provide for a minimum age for admission to employment.

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