Peer-reviewed article
Addressing Informal Labour Intermediaries in the Context of Child Labour: Evidence Review Across Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar
Raudah Mohd Yunus ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This evidence review examines informal labour intermediaries (ILIs) who facilitate child labour in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. ILIs are typically people close to children—parents, relatives, neighbours, and community members—who vary in their awareness and intentionality. The review finds that most interventions have focused on formal recruitment agencies rather than these informal intermediaries, leaving a significant gap in efforts to address child labour at the community level.
Key points
- ILIs are mostly individuals known and close to the child, including parents, siblings, relatives, neighbours, friends, and community figures
- ILIs' roles and motives differ; some are exploitative while others are well intentioned
- ILIs and their modes of operating vary according to work sector and location
- Most existing interventions have targeted formal recruitment agencies at the upper end of the labour supply chain
- Informal intermediaries remain largely unaddressed and under-discussed in the literature
Limitations
This is a literature review rather than an empirical study, so it cannot provide direct evidence of outcomes or the effectiveness of specific interventions. The review does not evaluate particular programmes or provide quantitative data on the scale or impact of ILI involvement in child labour.
Abstract
This Emerging Evidence Report gathers and analyses evidence on informal labour intermediaries (ILIs) involved in facilitating the worst forms of child labour in three countries – Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. More specifically, it attempts to identify who the ILIs are and how they work, and what interventions exist to address them. A systematic literature review was conducted, focusing on academic and grey literature from various sources within the last ten years. Findings showed that ILIs are mostly individuals known and close to the child. They can be parents, siblings, relatives, neighbours, friends, village members, influential figures in the community, etc. To some extent, ILIs and their modes of operating vary according to the work sector and location. Their roles and motives also differ; some are exploitative while some are well intentioned. Most existing interventions have targeted the more formal recruitment agencies at the upper end of the labour supply chain, while the more informal intermediaries remain largely unaddressed/under-discussed.