Every child has the right to protection from child labour. Still, 59 million children in Africa1 –more than one out of every five children aged 5-17 years– are child labourers. They work under circumstances which harm them physically, mentally, and socially, and prevent them from achieving even basic education.
A staggering 28.8 million African children are engaged in hazardous labour, which puts them in immediate and very serious danger of irreversible harm and even risk of losing their lives. Without urgent help, these children will never fulfil their potential as human beings, and they will never be able to contribute effectively to the development of their communities, their countries or their continent.
The international community and Africa recognize that child labour violates the human rights of the affected children, while entrapping households in cycles of poverty. Without effective action to combat it, child labour becomes hereditary.
