One in six of the world’s children are involved in child labour. They do work that is exploitative and damages their physical, mental, social and psychological development.

In Australia, the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union have found children working on industrial sewing machines after school, until late at night and during school holidays. In rural and remote Australia, 8% of children who have died from an injury on a farm were working at the time.

The Australian Government has not ratified the two key ILO Conventions to abolish child labour – C138 the Minimum Age Convention and C182 the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention. The ACTU continues to pressure the government to ratify these fundamental conventions.

Below find fact sheets, reports and other useful information to distribute in workplaces and schools.

More Information

Child Labour – an information sheet on child labour from Union Aid Abroad.

Facts On Child Labour – from the International Labour Organisation.

Helping Hands Or Shackled Lives – a new report from the ILO on child domestic labour.

The Invisible Children – a teaching aid on child labour from the ILO.

Useful Links

Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA – the ACTU’s aid organisation has a wealth of information and useful resources on child labour

International Labour Organisation – a key player in the movement against child labour

Child Labour Schools Company – a key player in the movement against child labour