Global estimates of child labour: Results and trends, 2012-2016

The new global estimates are a collective effort from members of Alliance 8.7, the global partnership to end forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour that brings together key partners representing governments, UN organisations, the private sector, workers’ and employers’ organizations and civil society in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.

The 2017 Global Estimates can be found online here.

Facts and figures

Worldwide 218 million children between 5 and 17 years are in employment.
Among them, 152 million are victims of child labour; almost half of them, 73 million, work in hazardous child labour.
In absolute terms, almost half of child labour (72.1 million) is to be found in Africa; 62.1 million in the Asia and the Pacific; 10.7 million in the Americas; 1.2 million in the Arab States and 5.5 million in Europe and Central Asia.
In terms of prevalence, 1 in 5 children in Africa (19.6%) are in child labour, whilst prevalence in other regions is between 3% and 7%: 2.9% in the Arab States (1 in 35 children); 4.1% in Europe and Central Asia (1 in 25); 5.3% in the Americas (1 in 19) and 7.4% in Asia and the Pacific region (1 in 14).
Almost half of all 73 million children victims of child labour are aged 5-11 years.
42 million (28%) are 12-14 years old; and 37 million (24%) are 15-17 years old.
Hazardous child labour is most prevalent among the 15-17 years old. Nevertheless up to a fourth of all hazardous child labour (19 million) is done by children less than 12 years old.
Among 152 million children in child labour, 88 million are boys and 64 million are girls.
58% of all children in child labour and 62% of all children in hazardous work are boys. Boys appear to face a greater risk of child labour than girls, but this may also be a reflection of an under-reporting of girls’ work, particularly in domestic child labour.
Child labour is concentrated primarily in agriculture (71%), which includes fishing, forestry, livestock herding and aquaculture, and comprises both subsistence and commercial farming; 17% in Services; and 12% in the Industrial sector, including mining.

Global estimates of child labour - Results and trends, 2012-2016 DOWNLOAD

Modern Slavery Reporting: Weak and Notable Practice

Publications

Under the Short Guides on Modern Slavery Reporting, CORE has developed this short guide aimed at providing an overview of o selection of weak and notable reporting practice from statements published to date. A random sample of modern slavery statem...Read More

TAGS: Recruitment Global

Enhancing Policy Responses to Addressing Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) in Kenya

LegislationPublications

This Advocacy Brief aims to support civil society organizations to improve legal, policy and other responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) in Kenya. It is an output of the Enhancing Policy Responses to Addressing Child Sexual...Read More

TAGS:

Top 5 Labour abuses in 2019-2020- A field-based analysis of worker reporting and business responses In Thailand

COVID-19 resourcesGuidancePublications

Issara Institute recognizes worker voice as conveying the voices, experiences, and needs of workers, and channeling that voice into clear mechanisms committed to remediation and a rebalancing of power asymmetries between employers and workers. This ...Read More

TAGS: Asia

NetClean Report 2018

Publications

The 2018 report by NetClean looks at police officers’ experiences and perspectives of self-produced material, organised offenders, obfuscation techniques, cryptocurrencies and deepfakes; as well as at employers’ experiences and perspectives ...Read More

TAGS: Information and Communications Technology Global