Resource guide

Child Labour and Education for All - A resource guide for trade unions and a call against child labour and for education for all

The links between child labour and education are clear – children with no access to education have little alternative but to enter the labour market, where they are often forced to work in dangerous and exploitative conditions. Hence, expanding access to free and compulsory education is crucial to reducing child labour, as is the provision of quality education. Access to education is a necessary but insufficient element as the challenge is to keep children in school and equip them with relevant skills.

The effective elimination of all forms of child labour is a key objective of the international trade union movement. Universal access to free, quality, compulsory, basic education is the foundation stone to achieve this goal. ILO Convention 138 makes clear the linkages between the elimination of child labour and access to quality basic education for all children.

It is against this background that ACTRAV and Education International have collaborated to develop a trade union manual on Child Labour and Education for All, for use by trade unions in policy advocacy, campaigns, training programmes and other activities.