child labour

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

A young spinner in Yazoo City

boy at Turkey Knob Mine

How the Progressive era changed child labour in the U.S.

Children hauling coal up the slope of an English mine; from an engraving of the 1840s.

See illustrator Joel Millerchip commissioned by Parliament to commemorate the Factory Act of 1833 with a banner, speaking of an event leading to its passage

Discover

Dancers at a Cinco de Mayo festival at the Mission District, San Francisco, California. (Photo dated 2019.) holidays

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's Independence Day?

San Francisco, California/USA-1/18/20: Womens March at Civic Center marching with signs of political protest regarding equality also embracing 2020 presidential candidates and celebrating equality

How Does the U.S. Government Define the Difference Between a Protest and a Riot?

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Normandy Invasion: Omaha Beach. World War II. D-Day. Infographic. SPOTLIGHT VERSION

Facts and Figures About the Landings on Omaha Beach During the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944

Salem Witch Trials. Photogravure after the painting by Walter McEwen titled - The Witches - circa 1890s.

How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

child labour: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 06, 2025

News •

West Godavari launches month-long intensive special drive to eradicate child labour • June 2, 2025, 11:55 PM ET (The Hindu)

Child labour blamed for poor exam results, dropout rates in Taita Taveta • May 27, 2025, 1:13 AM ET (The Standard)

Photos and Videos

A young spinner in Yazoo City

boy at Turkey Knob Mine

Children hauling coal up the slope of an English mine; from an engraving of the 1840s.

How the Progressive era changed child labour in the U.S.

See illustrator Joel Millerchip commissioned by Parliament to commemorate the Factory Act of 1833 with a banner, speaking of an event leading to its passage

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

social issue childhood labour serfdom forced labour statute labour peonage slavery

Key People

Abbott, Grace

Grace Abbott

American social worker

Florence Kelley.

Florence Kelley

American social reformer

Breckinridge, Madeline McDowell

Madeline McDowell Breckinridge

American social reformer

Helen Marot

American author, librarian, and labor organizer

Textile mill worker

Lewis Hine

American photographer