Child Labour Consequences on Education and Health: A Review of Evidence and Knowledge Gaps

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.