Girl Sitting on Grass, taken by Charles Parker, 2020
Child labor is defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as work that deprives children of their childhood, potential, and dignity, and that is harmful to their physical or mental development (ILO, 2024). It is one of the most persistent social and economic injustices worldwide, depriving millions of children of their education and futures while subjecting them to harmful conditions (UNICEF, 2024).
A larger part of child labor occurs in contexts where poverty, inequality, and weak legal systems intersect. Global supply chains seeking cheap labor and economic dependency between developed and developing nations perpetuates this kind of labor exploitation (ILO, 2024). The commodification of child labor is normalized by neoliberal economic structures because they deem it an economic necessity rather than a human rights issue. Moreover, gender, race, and class intersect to make certain children more vulnerable than others, such as those in marginalized ethnic groups or in rural, low income communities.
According to the ILO’s 2024 estimates, approximately 138 million children worldwide are engaged in child labor. A significant number of these children become entangled in trafficking networks—either through deception, coercion, or forced migration. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), nearly one in three trafficking victims globally is a child, and many are trafficked specifically for labor exploitation in agriculture, domestic work, construction, or mining. Poverty, lack of access to education, and family vulnerability create fertile conditions for traffickers to recruit or deceive children. Physicians specializing in child abuse patterns of child labor vary across socioeconomic lines, with children in impoverished communities typically subjected to manual labor, while those from more affluent environments may experience greater risks of sex trafficking or coercion(Greenbaum, MD et al, 2023).
Person Holding A Green Plant, taken by Akil Mazumder, 2018
The link between child labor and trafficking is therefore deeply intertwined. Families facing economic hardship may allow children to work or send them off with hopes of better opportunities, only for them to be exploited in forced labor or sexual trafficking. The absence of strong child protection laws and enforcement allows this transition from labor exploitation to trafficking to occur unchecked.
International conventions should be integrated with national laws such as the ILO Conventions No. 138 (establishes a minimum age for employment, requiring countries to set and enforce a minimum age for entering the workforce) and No. 182 (calls for the immediate prohibition and elimination of the "worst forms" of child labor, which include slavery, trafficking, forced labor, and dangerous or exploitative work), clearly defining and prohibiting all forms of child labor while protecting permissible youth employment. Policies must address the structural roots of child labor—poverty, inequality, and lack of access to quality education. Efforts to restabilize the economy and social protection programs can reduce families’ dependence on child income. Governments should strengthen labor inspection systems, cross-border cooperation, and data sharing to detect trafficking routes. Victim support services, including rehabilitation and reintegration programs, must be adequately funded.