Child labour is simply the single most important source of child abuse in the world

• Child labour remains a serious problem in the world today.
• According to estimates by ILO, the number of working children between the ages of 5 and 14 is at least 120 million.
• The majority of the children are in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But pockets of child labour also exist in many industrialized countries.
• Numerous children work in occupations and industries which are plainly dangerous and hazardous.
• Working children suffer significant growth deficits compared with children in school: they grow up shorter and lighter, and their body size continues to be smaller even in adulthood
• Many working children are exposed to hazardous conditions which expose them to chemical and biological hazards.
• Large numbers of working children work under conditions which expose them to substances with long latency periods -- for example, asbestos -- which increases the risk of contracting chronic occupational diseases such as asbestosis or lung cancer in young adulthood.
• Children in certain occupations are especially vulnerable to particular types of abuse. For example, many studies confirm that child domestic workers are victims of verbal and sexual abuse, beating or punishment by starvation.
• Child labour is simply the single most important source of child exploitation and child abuse in the world today.

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