Child and adolescent labor: factors, legal aspects, and social repercussions

Children and youth are currently one of the population segments most heavily jeopardized by the worsening of social, economic, and cultural problems in Brazil. Factors such as lack of government support for a sound, universally accessible school system, income concentration, low wages, unemployment, and family dysfunction have direct impacts on the life histories of children and adolescents, forcing them to join the labor market early, where their rights as 'citizens with special developmental conditions' are routinely ignored. This article aims to provide support for the eradication of child labor and the adaptation of adolescent labor to the terms of the pertinent Brazilian legislation. To this end, the article reviews the Federal Constitution, Consolidated Labor Laws, and Statute for Children and Adolescents to analyze situations in which work activities may or may not be allowed for children and adolescents, settling possible points of disagreement between the three legal texts and analyzing their social aspects.