Emerging-Market Indicators

Child labour

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Work is not necessarily harmful for a child, says Unicef, the UN agency dedicated to children's rights and welfare, but a heavy burden can damage children's education and health. Its measure of child labour counts anyone aged 5-11 who does paid or unpaid work for someone outside the household. It also includes 12- to 14-year-olds who work for more than 14 hours a week. Household chores can also qualify as child labour, if they are onerous enough. Unicef estimates that there are 246m child labourers worldwide. Perhaps 70% or more work in agriculture.

This article appeared in the Emerging-Market Indicators section of the print edition under the headline "Child labour"

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From the December 24th 2005 edition

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Overview

Child mortality