Unpaid, Unseen: Policy Recommendations to Address Domestic Child Labour for Girls in Latin America

Leah Trebbne - Awareness Content Reporter

A girl in Panama cooking for her family, one of the most common domestic chores for young girls. Photo from UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean, 2024.

What is Child Labour?

Child labour encompasses a wide variety of work performed by underage children that causes harm to their physical, social, or psychological development, as a result of hazardous circumstances or excessive time commitments (UNICEF, 2024). Freedom from labour is a fundamental right for all children, and there are several international conventions dedicated to eliminating child labour such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment and Work, as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNICEF Data, 2013), among others. Although there are positive global trends towards reducing the occurrence of child labour, these gains are at risk of being reversed by global challenges such as conflict, climate change, and economic instability.

The Latin American Context

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has the third highest rates of child labour in the world with nearly 8 million children engaging in labour, and the progress towards eliminating child labour is relatively slower than other regional counterparts (UNICEF Data, 2025). In LAC, child labour is driven by poverty and economic hardship which create barriers to education and perpetuate further poverty. Most child labourers in LAC are 15-17 years old, making up 29% of that age demographic, but there are still many younger children involved in labour (6.1% of children aged 5-14 years). No matter their ages, an upsetting majority of these children are participating in hazardous and dangerous work (Guedes Vieira, 2018). In most data reports, boys represent the majority of child labourers and work most commonly in the agricultural sector to supplement their family’s income or maintain their family’s agricultural land (UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean, 2021). Other common regional child labour practices include selling goods at markets, cleaning homes, and participation within construction and manufacturing (International Labour Organization, 2021). Yet the statistics denoting boys as the most prolific labourers often do not account for Unpaid Household Services (UHS), meaning the domestic work done within the household goes vastly unseen.

The Impact of Gender

The functional definition of child labour is almost always limited to children who engage in economic activities and earn a monetary profit, often neglecting to consider the many children that are spending inordinate amounts of time working within their own household. In LAC, unpaid household services (UHS) constitute a major and often invisible component of child labour, with girls bearing the brunt due to entrenched gender norms (Monti, 2021). While boys are more represented in formal and hazardous labour, a broader definition of child labour that includes domestic chores reveals that girls actually surpass boys in overall labour participation. Additionally, UHS has been found to be hazardous labour in many circumstances, especially when cleaning with dangerous materials, working with gas and electricity, using sharp tools, or spending over 28 hours performing domestic tasks per week (UNICEF Data, 2025). Girls spend significantly more hours on domestic and care tasks than boys, particularly in lower-income households and in families with younger siblings. This time spent on UHS often interferes with school attendance and achievement, which can lead to serious disadvantages in adulthood. In LAC, girls engaged in UHS for over 14 hours per week experience sharp drops in school attendance and face higher risks of grade repetition compared to their peers (UNICEF Data, 2013). These responsibilities not only reduce time for education, but also limit opportunities for recreation and social interaction that contribute to well-rounded development. Lastly, the overrepresentation of young LAC girls in UHS reinforce gender norms that shape life-long inequalities (UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean, 2024). By adolescence, the time gap between boys' and girls’ unpaid labour becomes more pronounced, limiting girls’ personal development and perpetuating traditional caregiving roles. Without recognizing and addressing the gendered nature of this labour, these inequalities will persist. The implications stretch far beyond childhood, influencing adult gender roles, limiting economic mobility, and weakening long-term human capital development across the region (UNICEF Data, 2022).

UNICEF’s Work

UNICEF takes a comprehensive, data-driven approach to tackling domestic child labour, especially the unpaid household work often assigned to girls due to harmful gender norms. To better understand and address these norms, UNICEF is in the process of developing standardized tools to measure and monitor changes in attitudes over time (UNICEF Data, 2022). The organization trains social service workers to prevent and respond to child labour risks (UNICEF, 2024), partners with the ILO to improve child labour data collection, and strengthens birth registration systems to ensure age-based legal protections. UNICEF also prioritizes reintegrating children into education or training after they are removed from labour, providing the support they need to stay safe, learn, and thrive. In the Latin American region, UNICEF has undertaken awareness campaigns to promote the international instruments protecting children’s rights and the importance of children balancing their housework with education and social development (UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean, 2024).

Policy Recommendations

1. Address Social Norms.

   1. In order to continue progressing towards the elimination of hazardous domestic labour for young girls in Latin America, there must be persisting efforts to address the social norms surrounding gendered labour and stereotypes. The higher rates of girls being expected to undertake UHS can be in part attributed to generational cultural values, and therefore any interventions must be culturally sensitive and tailored to local experiences (Guedes Vieira, 2018). Community workshops and education programs, led in partnerships with local leaders and organizations, can promote the rights of children to be protected from hazardous household work while tackling harmful gender-based prejudices and emphasize the importance of families to prioritize education for young girls.

2. Provide Social Assistance.

   1. As discussed, a leading cause of child labour and UHS is poverty, and the reliance on young girls to assist within the domestic sphere is most prevalent in lower-income countries. Social assistance in the form of free and accessible standard education for children, vocational/employment guidance for parents, and affordable childcare would all contribute to lessening the load that is placed upon girls. Additionally, reliable infrastructure such as clean drinking water and electricity would reduce the time that young girls are spending fulfilling domestic requirements.

3. Build Stronger Assessment Tools.

   1. There are currently very large gaps in knowledge and data regarding the domestic work of young girls in Latin America. This data is heavily reliant on household surveys and reports, therefore more targeted and comprehensive studies at a national level must be developed in order to gain a deeper understanding of this issue. The surveys and reports must be accessible to all families, especially in rural contexts where there is a higher likelihood of young girls to be participating in hazardous UHS, therefore must be prepared to be completed orally if there is no one in the household that is literate.

Sources

Guedes Vieira, M.  (2018, October 24). Child Labor in Brazil and Uruguay. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History. https://oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-485. 

International Labour Organization. Child labour statistical profile: Latin America and the Caribbean. (2021, November). https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/Statistical_Profile_06_LAC_ENGLISH_FINAL_20211116_NEW.pdf 

Monti, L. (2021, June 2). 5 facts about child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean. International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. https://endchildlabour2021.org/5-facts-about-child-labour-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/ 

UNICEF. What is child labour? (2024, June 27). https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-labour 

UNICEF Canada. (2024, June 12). Ten things you didn’t know about child labour https://www.unicef.ca/en/blog/ten-things-you-didnt-know-about-child-labour 

UNICEF Data. (2022, January 31). Uneven expectations: Measuring gender norms to address children’s engagement in unpaid work. https://data.unicef.org/resources/uneven-expectations-measuring-gender-norms-to-address-childrens-engagement-in-unpaid-work/ 

UNICEF Data. (2025, June 11). Child labour global estimates 2024. https://data.unicef.org/resources/child-labour-global-estimates-2024 

UNICEF Latin America and the Carribean. (2021, June 11). Pandemic is pushing Latin America and the Caribbean more off track in Ending child labour. https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/pandemic-pushing-latin-america-and-caribbean-more-track-ending-child-labour 

UNICEF Latin America and the Carribean. (2024, October). Time use among adolescents in Latin America. https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/reports/time-use-among-adolescents-in-latin-america