Child labor in Brazil

Child labor, the practice of employing children under the legal age set by a government, is considered one of Brazil's most significant social issues. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), more than 2.7 million minors between the ages of 5 and 17 worked in the country in 2015; 79,000 were between the ages of 5 and 9. Under Brazilian law, 16 is the minimum age to enter the labor market and 14 is the minimum age to work as an apprentice.

It is estimated that about 30 percent of Brazilian child labor occurs in the agricultural sector, and 60 percent occurs in the northern and northeastern regions of the country. Data indicates that 65 percent of child laborers are Afro-Brazilians, and 70 percent are male.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), poverty is the leading cause of child labor in the world (including Brazil). Children are forced to work to supplement family income, eliminating their studies and social lives.

Since the enactment of the 1988 constitution, child labor has been illegal in the country. The government has taken steps to reduce its prevalence by adopting international conventions and guidelines.

Social movements were created to increase awareness of child labor in Brazil, such as the introduction of the hashtag #ChegaDeTrabalhoInfantil. Other steps included changes to labor laws and increased funding for government welfare programs, such as Bolsa Família, which support impoverished families. As a result, the number of underage workers fell from about eight million in 1992 to five million in 2003.

Despite these improvements, Brazil still accounts for one-fourth of Latin America's underage workers in. Between 2014 and 2015, there was a 13-percent increase in the number of reported child workers under age 10. In 2016, there were 1,238 cases of child exploitation recorded in the public prosecutor's office. However, many instances of child labor in the informal economy (such as child prostitution or drug trafficking) went unrecorded.

In 2024, Brazil recorded the lowest level of child labor since 2016, with 1.6 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 still engaged in labor activities. This represents 4.2% of this age group in the country. Despite the reduction, the situation remains critical, especially for the most vulnerable. Common activities include some of the worst forms of labor. Regional disparities are evident, with the Northeast and North showing the highest rates of child labor.