Child Labour
At the beginning of 2020, 160 million children were still subject to child labour. Child labour is a form of exploitation that is a violation of a human right and it is recognized and defined by international instruments. It is the declared policy of the international community and of almost all Governments to abolish child labour.
Child labour is damaging to a child’s physical, social, mental, psychological and spiritual development because it is work performed at too early an age and deprives children of their childhood as well as their dignity. They are deprived of an education and may be separated from their families. Children who do not complete their primary education are likely to remain illiterate and never acquire the skills needed to get a job and contribute to the development of a modern economy. Consequently, child labour results in under-skilled, unqualified workers and jeopardizes future improvements of skills in the workforce.
Central to this is our call to companies to step up their due diligence on human rights and to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for all adverse human rights impacts in their operations and value chains, which will help tackle child labour and forced labour. Making a real impact will require adopting a holistic approach and collaborating with all stakeholders.
Developing awareness and understanding of the causes and consequences of child labour is the first step that a company can take toward action against child labour. This means identifying the issues and determining whether or not child labour is a problem within the business. Companies sourcing in specific industry sectors with geographically distant supply chains need to be particularly vigilant. However, child labour also exists less visibly in developed, industrialized countries where it occurs, for example, in some immigrant communities.
The UN Global Compact supports companies of all sizes and from all sectors to take specific actions that contribute to ending child labour in their operations and supply chains.
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