Child labour, especially its worst forms, constitutes blight on the development of every country as children are a nation’s most valuable asset and its human resource base. Child labour is at the core of deep poverty in developing countries.
It is furthermore, a growing menace which is gradually eroding the skilled labour force of many of these countries, perpetuating poverty and social instability. It is also a threat to, and an abuse of, the rights of the child and generally compromises the total development of the child. The effects of child labour may not be immediately obvious but child labour destroys the individual and undermines the fabric of the family and the nation as a whole.
