The term “child labor” is often defined as work that deprives children of

their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to
physical-mental development. It refers to work that is mentally,
physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children, and
interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to
attend school, obliging them to leave school prematurely or requiring
them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and
heavy work. The statistical figures about child workers in the world have
variation because of the differences in defining categories of age group
and engagement of children in formal and informal sector.(Srivastava
K,2021)

Not all work done by children should be regarded as child labour, that should be
eradicated. The ability to function at work by children or adolescents that is not
harmful to their health or development or interferes with their schooling is
generally considered as a positive thing. Helping their parents around the
house, assisting in a family business, or earning pocket money outside of school
hours and during school holidays are examples of such activities. These kinds of
activities benefit children’s development and the well-being of their families by
providing them with appropriate skills and experience, along with training them
to be productive members of the family or for society during their adolescence.

Work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity,
as well as work that is hazardous to their physical and mental development, is
commonly referred to as “child labour.” It denotes work that:

 Is risky and detrimental to children on a mental, physical, social, or

moral level; or
 Interferes with their education by denying them the opportunity to
attend school; forcing them to leave school early; or causing them to
try to combine school attendance with overly long and heavy work.
The age of the child, the type and hours of work performed, the conditions
under which it is performed, and the goals pursued by specific countries all
influence whether or not certain types of “work” can be classified as “child
labour.” The response differs from one country to the next, as well as between
sectors within countries.