Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations. Legislation around the world prohibits child labour. These laws do not consider all child labour as child labour; Exceptions include child artist work, family chores, supervised training, certain categories of work, such as Amish children, some forms of child labour common among Native American children and others.
Child labour has existed to varying degrees throughout most of history. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many children aged 5 to 14 from poorer families still worked in Europe, the United States and several colonies of European powers. These children worked mainly in agriculture, home assembly operations, factories, mining and in services such as news boys. Some worked night shifts for 12 hours. With the increase in household incomes, the availability of schools and the adoption of laws on child labour, the incidence rates of child labour declined.
In developing countries, with high poverty and limited schooling opportunities, child labour remains prevalent. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest incidence rates of child labour in 2010, with several African nations witnessing more than 50 per cent of children aged 5-14 working. World agriculture is the largest employer of child labour. The vast majority of child labour is in rural settings and in the informal urban economy; Children are predominantly employed by their parents, rather than factories. Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the main cause of child labour.
Globally, the incidence of child labour declined from 25 per cent to 10 per cent between 1960 and 2003, according to the World Bank . However, the total number of child workers remains high, with UNICEF and ILO recognizing an estimated 168 million children aged 5-17 years worldwide, participated in child labour in 2013.