Children’s work and labour is a complex and multi-faceted issue, and understanding and responding effectively to it isn’t easy. There is evidence to show that children’s work can be both a means to, and a violation of, children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation. For many working children, positive and negative aspects co-exist. Recognising this and the diversity of children’s work is where any serious conversation on addressing this topic must begin.
Such conversations must engage thoroughly with children and caregivers to inform the design of relevant interventions. They are the key actors who know their realities best, and it is crucial for policymakers and practitioners to understand their specific socio-cultural, economic and political contexts before they act. Working children have important things to share about their motivations and reasons to work, their experiences of work (many of which are gendered), and their suggestions for services, policies and practices that would improve their lives. They must be heard.
We, as researchers heard the views of hundreds of working children’s representatives from 29 Children’s Advisory Committees (CACs) who organised their own research and advocacy initiatives in 2018 and 2019 across 18 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Supported by local NGOs, the CACs were part of the global project “It’s Time to Talk!” that was initiated by German NGOs Kindernothilfe and Terre des Hommes in 2016 to support meaningful participation of working children in practice and policy developments that concern them. This article draws upon the insights and lessons learned from these initiatives.
