On This Page Indicators for this standard Sources of Information for this Search

Australia - Child Labor

Indicators

The following indicators should be considered when conducting assessments of compliance (click on links for details):

Legal Framework

• ILO 138 - Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (A-1)
• ILO 182 - Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (A-2)
• UN Convention on Rights of Child
• Optional Protocol on Armed Conflict
• Optional Protocol on Sale of Children
• Prohibition of Economic Exploitation (including Bilateral or Regional Trade Agreements) (A-4)
• Compulsory Education (A-5)
• Minimum Age for Employment (A-6)
• Prohibition of Sexual Exploitation (A-7)
• Prohibition of Child Slavery and Slavery-like Practices (A-8)
• Use of Children in Illicit Activities (A-9)
• Military Recruitment/Conscription of Minors (under 18) (A-10)
• Prohibition of Hazardous Work for Minors (under 18) (A-11)

Government Performance

• Administrative Agency Charged with Promoting Child Labor Standard B-1)
• Labor Inspectorate (B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5)
• Administrative or Judicial Complaint Mechanism (B-6, B-7)
• Government Programs to Combat Child Labor (B-8)
• Government sponsored education campaigns (B-9)
• International Technical Assistance (B-10)
• Government Support of NGO Activities (B-11)

Overall Outcomes

• Number and proportion of “economically active” children (5-17) (C-1)
• Number and proportion of children (5-17) in child labor (distinguished from ‘child work’) (C-2)
• Proportion of children engaged in household chores (C-3)
• Percentage of children working in various employment sectors (C-4)
• Number and percentages of children working in “worst forms of child labor” (C-5)
• Time worked (C-6)
• Number of children living outside their households engaged in child labor (C-7)

Associated Factors

• Labor force participation rate (D-1)
• Socioeconomic status of households with working children (D-2)
• Poverty rate (D-3)
• Adult employment rate (D-4)
• Income per capita (D-5)
• Income inequality (D-6)
• Total fertility rate (D-7)
• Life expectancy rate (D-8)
• Infant Mortality rate (D-9)
• Child Malnutrition rate (D-10)
• Adult Literacy rate (D-11)
• Expenditures on public schools (D-12)
• Net school enrollment (D-13)
• Proportion of school children repeating grades (D-14)
• Retention rates (D-15)
• Student-Teacher ratios (D-16)
• Cost of attending school (D-17)
• Access to micro credit (D-18)
• Demand for child labor (D-19)
• HIV/AIDS prevalence rate (D-20)
• Presence of armed conflict or other civil or political turmoil (D-21)

Sources

International Sources

ILO

Yearly data of Total and Economically active population, Employment, Unemployment, Hours of Work, Wages, Labour Cost, Consumer Price Indices, Occupational Injuries, Strikes and Lockouts: 1969-2002

• LABORSTA
• Committee Assessment of Source

This source provides estimates and projections for the economically active population by age ranges, including 10-14 and 15-19, disaggregated by gender. Information on methodology can be obtained in Sources and Methods: Labour Statistics (4th edition, 1996) athttp://laborsta.ilo.org/applv8/data/ssm10/smst10.pdf

• Economically Active Population Estimates and Projections (EAPEP) 1950-2010
• Committee Assessment of Source

This database supplies information on national labor administrations.

• Database on Labor Administration (ATLAS)
• Committee Assessment of Source

This source provides quantitative data on a set of 20 core labor market indicators.

KILM 1 provides data on labor force participation rates by gender and age group. KILM 2 provides data on employment-to-population ratio. KILM 3 provides data on wage and salaried workers and self-employed workers (by gender). KILM 4 provides data on the proportion of workers (by gender) in agriculture, industry, and services. KILM 5 provides data on part-time workers (by gender). KILM 6 provides data on the number of persons working more than 40 hours a week as a percentage of total employment. KILM 7 provides data on urban informal sector employment (number of people employed by gender and percentage of urban employment by gender). KILM 8 provides data on the number of unemployed workers by gender and the unemployment rate for males/females. KILM 14 provides data on educational attainment of population 25 years and older, including tertiary education. KILM 15 provides data on nominal and real manufacturing wage indices for male/female. KILM 18 includes data on poverty and income distr

• Key Indicators of the Labor Market (KILM)
• Committee Assessment of Source

Reports to the ILO Governing Body may contain information on country requests and participation in technical assistance projects.

• Committee on Technical Cooperation Reports
• Committee Assessment of Source

International Labor Organization

Information on ratification status, Article 22 reports and comments from the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations.

• APPLIS Database
• Committee Assessment of Source

This database contains information from governments, employers' and workers' organizations, that have a role to play under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

• Annual Review Database
• Committee Assessment of Source

As part of the Follow-up to the Declaration, the ILO Director-General submits a Global Report on one of the four categories of fundamental principles and rights at work to the tripartite International Labour Conference each June.

• Global Reports
• Committee Assessment of Source

Database of national labour, social security and related human rights legislation maintained by the ILO's International Labour Standards Department. Records in NATLEX provide abstracts of legislation and relevant citation information, and they are indexed by keywords and by subject classifications. Each record in NATLEX appears in only one of the three ILO official languages (English/French/Spanish).

• NATLEX
• Committee Assessment of Source

ILOLEX is a trilingual database containing ILO Conventions and Recommendations, ratification information, comments of the Committee of Experts and the Committee on Freedom of Association, representations, complaints, interpretations, General Surveys, and numerous related documents.

• ILOLEX Database of International Labor Standards
• Committee Assessment of Source

International Organization for Migration

Compiling and analysing information from the media, governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, Trafficking in Migrants aims at improving the exchange of information on migrant trafficking. Published quarterly by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Trafficking in Migrants includes sections on trends, policies, meetings, publications, and networking activities.

• Bulletin: Trafficking in Migrants
• Committee Assessment of Source

Social Watch

Provide qualitative information related to poverty, equality, and education.

• Country reports

UN Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

Statistical tables provide quantitative data related to poverty and economic development, gender, and education.

• State of the World's Children
• Committee Assessment of Source

UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Provide statistics and information on economic and labor conditions, including laws and their enforcement governing wages, hours, and occupational health and safety and information related to discrimination and education.

• Country reports
• Committee Assessment of Source

UN Development Program (UNDP)

Human development indicators provide quantitative data related to poverty, gender development, and education. Ratifications of core labor standard conventions are also provided. See also indicators on millenium development goals and technical notes.

• Human Development Reports
• Committee Assessment of Source

UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The Institute for Statistics collects quantiative information on education (access and participation, resources, literacy and attainment). See also metadata for source notes and definitions.

• Education Statistics
• Committee Assessment of Source

UNICEF

Statistics section provides a snapshot of economic and social indicators (from the State of the World's Children Reports).

• Information by Country
• Committee Assessment of Source

United Nations

Includes State Party Reports and the Conclusions and Observations of UN Committees relating to the CCPR, CEDAW, CERD, CESCR, CMW, CRC.

• Treaty Body Database
• Committee Assessment of Source

World Bank

This database provides country specific information related to education.

• EdStats
• Committee Assessment of Source

This database provides gender-related information on health, labor force participation, and educational attainment by country and region.

• GenderStats
• Committee Assessment of Source

Provides statistical information on poverty and economic development, gender, child labor, and education. Includes information on definitions and sources.

• World Bank Development Indicators
• Committee Assessment of Source

National Sources

Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australia

Potentially useful information, available in English

• Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australia, website
• Committee Assessment of Source

Governments, Australia

Provides links to federal, state and local governments

• Governments, Australia, website
• Committee Assessment of Source

Workplace Information, Australia

Potentially useful information, available in English

• Workplace information, Australia, website
• Committee Assessment of Source

U.S. Government Sources

U.S. Department of Labor

The Foreign Labor Trends (FLT) report series is designed to be an informative and authoritative source of information on labor institutions, practices, and recent key developments in the countries reported.

• Foreign Labor Trends report
• Committee Assessment of Source

U.S. State Department

Section 6 covers Workers' Rights, including "Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment" and "Acceptable Conditions of Work

• Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
• Committee Assessment of Source

Nongovernmental Organizations

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

Brief country-specific reports on issues of compliance with internationally recognized core labor standards.

• Country Reports: WTO & Labour Standards
• Committee Assessment of Source

The 2003 edition of the Annual Survey details violations of trade union rights in 133 countries during the year 2002. These violations range from provisions in national legislation which restrict legitimate trade union activity, through outright bans on freedom of association, to intimidation, wrongful detention, torture and murder of trade unionists.

• Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights
• Committee Assessment of Source