When Vimala was 11 years old she joined the ranks of India's working children, rolling cigarettes for a boss who had loaned her mother about $300. Some days she worked for 15 hours to meet her quota of a thousand cigarettes, paying off the debt 15 cents at a time.
For Vimala, and nearly 120 million school-aged children around the world, the words "back to school" sound like a dream come true. That's because these children, some as young as five, work full-time, every day. The International Labour Organization estimates another 130 million children work part-time to help their families meet their basic needs.
Whether they're on a family fishing boat, in the fields, or in a factory, working children often face hazardous conditions. In many cases, they're at risk of physical, psychological, or sexual abuse.
Sometimes efforts to tackle the problem have only made it worse. In Bangladesh, for example, the government forced one company to lay off thousands of child labourers. Nearly half ended up working again—in industries that were more dangerous and harder to regulate, such as the sex trade .
World Vision's approach is to address the root cause of child labour—poverty. In the short-term, staff members are working to end the worst forms of child labour and improve conditions for working children.
Improving Family Income
In many countries, World Vision helps parents increase their household income so they can afford to send their children to school, reducing the risk of children's involvement in exploitative labour. In some cases, World Vision helps families pay off their debts so children can be released from bonded labour.
Empowering Children
World Vision supports the National Movement of Working Children in India, which is a child-led movement advocating for safer working conditions, better wages, and working hours that allow them to go to school.
Increasing Access to Education
Around the world child sponsorship helps impoverished children go to school. In some countries, World Vision supports alternative schools that give child labourers a chance to catch up with their peers.
