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Child Labour Consequences on Education and Health: A Review of Evidence and Knowledge Gaps
Delphine Boutin, Marine Jouvin ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a systematic review of evidence on how child labour affects children's education and health outcomes. The authors examined 25 studies on education impacts, 11 on physical health, and 4 on mental health, all from developing countries. The review finds clear negative effects of child labour on children's physical and mental health, though education impacts are mostly but not universally negative. The authors note that current evidence provides only rough indications of impact rather than precise quantification.
Key points
- Child labour has negative impacts on children's physical health and mental health according to empirical evidence
- Consequences for education are mostly negative, though working children may gain some additional practical skills
- The review examined 25 studies on education, 11 on physical health, and 4 on mental health in developing countries
- Current empirical evidence has methodological limitations that prevent precise quantification of child labour's impacts
- Understanding mechanisms of harm is important for designing effective policies and programs
Limitations
This is a literature review rather than primary research, so it reflects the limitations of existing studies. The authors acknowledge that current evidence provides rough indications of effects rather than precise quantification, and there are gaps in the knowledge base, particularly on mental health impacts.
Abstract
Understanding and quantifying the consequences of child labour on children's short- and longterm development is an important step in designing appropriate policies and programs to improve children's well-being. We provide an updated review of the literature on the impact of child labour on children's education and health. Specifically, this paper first explain the mechanisms by which child labour impacts children's education, physical health, and mental health, both in the short and long term. Second, we synthesize the available knowledge on the causal effect of child labour on education and health. We reviewed studies focusing on developing countries that investigate the consequences of child labour on education (25 studies selected), physical health (11 studies) and mental health (4 studies). Empirical evidence leaves no doubt about the negative impact of child labour on their physical and mental health. Although the consequences of child labour on education are mostly negative, working children could also benefit from learning additional skills. Finally, we highlight the methodological limitations and gaps of the current evidence, indicating that the empirical results reported are more an indication of potential effects than an actual quantification of the impacts of child labour.