Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Trade Openness And Child Labor In Sub-Saharan Africa, Lexie Prier

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

In many impoverished countries, children face dangerous, difficult, or exploitative work conditions. Child labor can deny children their basic needs, be harmful to their health, or stand in the way of their education and childhood. UNICEF estimates 246 million children are engaged in child labor worldwide, with nearly 70 percent working in hazardous conditions (UNICEF). The worst forms of child labor include slavery, drug trafficking, use in armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, or any work that "is likely to harm the health, safety, or morals of children" (ILO 1999).