Child Labour: A Public Health Perspective

Child labour constitutes a major public health concern, with estimates that world-wide 110 million children aged 5-14 years are engaged in labour that can be described as hazardous or intolerable. This book examines both the rights oriented and public health perspectives on child labour. A rights approach ensures that exploitative and abusive work is considered not just in terms of a labour market or health rights approach, but also in terms of human dignity and the solutions that preserve the rights of children and communities. The public health approach is steeped in the relationship between individuals and their community, seeking to identify how the presence (or absence) of government programmes and policies affects those involved. The economics perspective is also presented early in the book, to aid understanding of the causes and consequences of child labour, before the alternate public health and sociological views are presented. The editors examine factors such as poverty, malnutrition, social disadvantage, gender, globalisation, and education, and look at both physical and psychological threats.This book will be of use to academics and students involved in health, health policy, social sciences and development disciplines. Those actively involved public health initiatives, such as policy makers, and non-governmental organisations, will also find this an invaluable resource.