Children's Work and Independent Child Migration: a critical review

UNICEF Innocenti Working Papers are intended to disseminate initial research contributions within the Centre's programme of work, addressing social, economic and institutional aspects of the realization of the human rights of children. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. Extracts from this publication may be freely reproduced with due acknowledgement. was established in 1988 to strengthen the research capability of the United Nations Children's Fund and to support its advocacy for children worldwide. The Centre – formally known as the International Child Development Centre – generates knowledge and analysis to support policy formulation and advocacy in favour of children, acts as a convener and catalyst for knowledge exchange and strategic reflections on children's concerns and supports programme development and capacity-building. Innocenti studies present new knowledge and perspectives on critical issues affecting children, informing current and future areas of UNICEF's work. The Centre's publications represent contributions to a global debate on child rights issues and include a range of opinions. For this reason, the Centre may produce publications that do not necessarily reflect UNICEF policies or approaches on some topics. The Centre collaborates with its host institution in Florence, the Istituto degli Innocenti, in selected areas of work. Core funding for the Centre is provided by the Government of Italy and UNICEF. Additional financial support for specific projects is provided by governments, international institutions and private sources, including UNICEF National Committees, as well as UNICEF offices involved in collaborative studies. For further information and to download or order this and other publications, please visit the IRC website at Summary: This review considers the evidence from child labor research that is relevant to understanding independent child migration for work. Child labour research is relevant to the study of independent child migration for work in three ways. First, migration for work is one of the many possible alternatives for child time allocation. The methodological and analytical tools used in the study of child labor are thus applicable to the study of independent child migration for work. Second, independent child migration for work will be reduced by factors that improve alternatives to migration. Child labor at home is one possible alternative to migrating. Thus, influences on child labor will affect independent child migration for work by altering the pressures that push children into migration. Third, the …