Child labour and internal migration in Telangana, India: Key findings on the root causes of child labour

Despite global progress, child labour remains a persistent challenge, including in India. Among migrant workers, poverty and economic insecurity are key drivers, with families sometimes relying on children to supplement household income during seasonal agricultural migration.

These children face heightened risks of child labour, including its hazardous forms, due to informality, weak enforcement of labour protections, and limited access to education, childcare, and social security, which perpetuate dropout rates and intergenerational poverty. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to hazardous tasks in cotton and chilli cultivation, including exposure to pesticides and heavy labour.

The report explores the root causes of child labour among migrant children in Telangana and emphasizes that these challenges require coordinated, evidence-based, multi-stakeholder responses. It calls for stronger cooperation among government, employers, trade unions, and civil society to address root causes and ensure decent work.

The findings of this study will guide collaborative action in Telangana through the Child Labour Platform (CLP), the leading business initiative to eradicate child labour. The CLP is co-chaired by the IOE and ITUC, with the ILO as Secretariat.