Child Labour in Agriculture

Infographic | FAO's role in preventing and reducing child labour in agriculture

Nearly 60% of all child labourers work in agriculture - nearly 100 million boys & girls

©Photo: ©FAO

29/06/2015
Child labour is defined as work that is inappropriate for a child’s age, affects children’s education, or is likely to harm their health, safety or morals. It should be emphasized that not all work carried out by children is considered child labour. Some activities may help children acquire important livelihood skills and contribute to their survival and food security.

However, much of the work children do in agriculture is not age-appropriate, is likely to be hazardous or interferes with children’s education. For instance, a child under the minimum age for employment who is hired to herd cattle, a child applying pesticides, and a child who works all night on a fishing boat and is too tired to go to school the next day would all be considered child labour.
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