Towards the first generation free of child labour

An integrated and interdependent analysis of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in relation to Target 8.7

1. No poverty

Extreme poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 1990. While this is a remarkable achievement, one in five people in developing regions still live on less than $1.25 a day, and there are millions more who make little more than this daily amount, plus many people risk slipping back into poverty.

Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality.

Commitment to eradicate extreme poverty for all people and around the world by the year 2030. People that live on less than 1.25 dollars a day are considered to be suffering from extreme poverty. It has been empirically proved that the lowest-income countries have the highest rates of child labour but the phenomenon also reaches a very large number of children and adolescents in middle-income countries. The interdependence between child labour and poverty is clear, as poor families often need the income to cover their basic subsistence needs. However, a group of authors defies the theory that states that higher incomes mean less child labour and suggests that this rate is higher in poor families that have access to productive resources (e.g., land) than in families without resources.