| Any child under the age specified by law | | | | hiring of children, commercial and sexual |
| worldwide works full time, mentally or | | | | exploitation of children, hard working |
| physically to earn for own survival or adding | | | | condition. |
| to family income, that interrupts child's | | | | |
| social development and education is called | | | | With the change of world order future |
| "child labour". | | | | education system would be more practical than |
| | | | present system of theory from books and |
| Any child under the age of 15 engaged in | | | | notebooks. Each child would be encouraged to |
| activity to feed family or self is "child | | | | involve in practical education that gives |
| labour". ILO Convention 138 (C. 138) | | | | skill to survive in competitive world. So, |
| obligates countries to fix a minimum age for | | | | defining "education" becomes important to |
| employment that should not be less than the | | | | define "child labour". Thus any child works |
| age for completing compulsory schooling and, | | | | for pleasure, leisure, pocket money, helping |
| in any event, should not be less than 15 | | | | parents, hobby, aspiration, non hazardous |
| years. Developing countries may set the | | | | part time work is not "child labour". "Child |
| minimum age at 14. C-138 provides flexibility | | | | labour" purely accounts when child is forced |
| for countries to establish a younger minimum | | | | to work under slavery, poverty, parentless or |
| age of 12 or 13 for children to partake in | | | | social or parent's boycott. |
| "light work." | | | | |
| | | | Types of child labour- Self employed and |
| Children's participation in economic activity | | | | employed with others are two categories of |
| - that does not negatively affect their | | | | child labour: |
| health and development or interfere with | | | | |
| education, can be positive. Work that does | | | | - Self employed- street sellers, rag or scrap |
| not interfere with education (light work) is | | | | pickers, street entertainers, child |
| permitted from the age of 12 years under the | | | | prostitution or pornography (but mostly they |
| International Labour Organization (ILO) | | | | are hired by notorious gangs), begging, and |
| Convention 138. So child engaged in part time | | | | other odd jobs. These types of children are |
| work to learn practical skill linked to | | | | mainly street children and rural migrants. |
| social or inherited custom or crafts is not | | | | Most these children are parentless, abandoned |
| child labor. It becomes "child labour" only | | | | by parents, riot or war misery. The situation |
| when child weaves carpet in a factory or | | | | changes; in poor countries they are helping |
| factory; earns money to support family | | | | hand to the parents. |
| without schooling, social development. On the | | | | |
| other hand if child works for 3-4 hours to | | | | - Employed with others- factory or mine |
| learn or earn for self or parents after | | | | workers, domestic servants, child |
| schooling, would not be known as child labour | | | | prostitution or pornography. Conducting work |
| as is additional education and practical | | | | in other's premises or in other's custody. |
| skill that a child learns. | | | | Such children work with parents consent or |
| | | | are parentless. Some are sold or some work to |
| Definition of elements of worst forms of | | | | help parents to meet livelihood. |
| child labour- all types of slavery, forceful | | | | |