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WHAT
IS CHILD LABOR?
Child
labor is work that harms children or keeps them from going to school.
It is estimated that 246 million children between the ages of
5 and 17 currently work under conditions that are considered
illegal, dangerous or extremely exploitative.
Children
work at all sorts of jobs around the world, usually because they and
their families are extremely poor. Many children work in commercial
agriculture,
fishing, manufacturing, mining, and domestic
services. 
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| WHAT
KINDS OF WORK AND WORKING CONDITIONS ARE ACCEPTABLE?
Where
Does Most Child Labor Occur?*
- 60%
in Asia
- 23%
in Africa
- 8%
in Latin America
Child
Labor Can Be Found in Almost Every Industry:
- Agriculture:
Nearly 70% of child labor occurs in agriculture, fishing, hunting,
and forestry. Children have been found harvesting:
- Bananas
in Ecuador
- Cotton
in Egypt & Benin
- Flowers
in Colombia
- Oranges
in Brazil
- Cocoa
in the Ivory Coast
- Tea
in Argentina & Bangladesh
- Fruits
& Vegetables in the U.S.
- Manufacturing:
About 15 million children are estimated to be directly involved in
manufacturing goods for export, including:
- Carpets
from India, Pakistan, Egypt
- Clothing
from Bangladesh; footwear made in India & the Philippines
- Soccer
balls sewn in Pakistan
- Glass
and Bricks made in India
- Fireworks
made in China, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala,
India, and Peru
- Surgical
Instruments made in Pakistan
- Mining
and Quarrying: Child laborers suffer extremely high illness and injury
rates in mines and quarries. Children as young as 6 years old break
up rocks, and wash, sieve, and carry ore. 9 year-olds work underground
setting explosives and carrying loads. Children work in a range of
mining operations, including:
- Gold in
Colombia
- Charcoal
in Brazil and El Salvador
- Chrome in
Zimbabwe
- Diamonds
in Cote d"Ivoire
- Emeralds
in Colombia
- Coal in
Mongolia
- Domestic
Service: Many children, especially girs, work in domestic services,
sometimes starting as young as 5 or 6.
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