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The short version
- Organisations discovering child labour must immediately terminate the child's work while providing financial and educational remediation.
- Remediation requires funding adequate financial support to enable children to attend and remain in school until no longer children.
- Policies and procedures for child labour remediation must be documented, maintained, and effectively communicated to personnel and interested parties.
- Young workers may be employed but face strict working hour limits, mandatory schooling rules, and prohibitions against hazardous tasks.
Child labour remediation rationale and legal context
Remediating child labour represents one of the most critical operational challenges for quality managers, compliance leads, and internal auditors. Simply dismissing a child from a facility without support often forces them into worse economic exploitation or hazardous informal work. Section I.1 establishes that the SA8000: 2014 Standard aims to protect and empower all personnel within an organisation's control and influence.
The framework rests upon fundamental international instruments listed in Section II, including ILO Convention 138 and Recommendation 146 on minimum age, ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Under Definition III.3, a child is defined as any person under 15 years of age, unless local law stipulates a higher age for work or mandatory schooling. Definition III.4 classifies child labour as any work performed by a child younger than that specified age.
When child labour is detected, immediate workplace removal must be paired with comprehensive support. Definition III.18 defines remediation of child labourers as all support and actions necessary to ensure the safety, health, education, and development of children whose work has been terminated. This dual obligation ensures that child protection goes beyond workplace exclusion to deliver sustained developmental support.
Operational requirements and educational support under Clause 1
Criterion 1.1 strictly mandates that organisations shall not engage in or support the use of child labour. To address non-conformances, Criterion 1.2 requires organisations to establish, document, maintain, and effectively communicate written policies and procedures for child labour remediation. These policies must be clearly communicated to personnel and other interested parties.
Furthermore, Criterion 1.2 imposes a mandatory financial obligation on the organisation. The organisation shall provide adequate financial and other support to enable remediated children to attend and remain in school until they are no longer children under the standard. This financial commitment covers educational costs and compensates for lost household income, preventing the child from seeking alternative employment.
The standard also establishes distinct operational boundaries for young workers, defined under Definition III.26 as workers under 18 years of age but over the age of a child. Internal auditors must evaluate these criteria using Definition III.1, which clarifies that shall indicates a mandatory requirement, whereas Definition III.2 specifies that may indicates a permission.
| Clause Reference | Requirement Type | Standard Mandate or Permission | Operational Implementation Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion 1.1 | Mandatory (shall) | Prohibition of engaging in or supporting child labour | Enforce rigorous age verification at recruitment and across sub-suppliers |
| Criterion 1.2 | Mandatory (shall) | Document and communicate written remediation procedures | Maintain transparent remediation steps shared with personnel and stakeholders |
| Criterion 1.2 | Mandatory (shall) | Provide adequate financial and educational support | Fund schooling and living costs until the child reaches legal working age |
| Criterion 1.3 | Permission (may) | Employ young workers outside compulsory school hours | Schedule young workers strictly around educational commitments |
| Criterion 1.3 | Mandatory (shall) | Limit combined school, work, and transport time to 10 hours daily | Cap total daily commitments and restrict work shifts to 8 hours maximum |
| Criterion 1.4 | Mandatory (shall) | Protect children and young workers from hazardous or unsafe conditions | Remove young workers from night shifts and unsafe tasks inside or outside work |
Managing young workers under Criterion 1.3 requires strict operational scheduling. Where young workers are subject to compulsory education laws, they shall work only outside school hours. Total combined time spent on school, work, and transportation shall not exceed 10 hours per day, with actual daily work capped at 8 hours. Criterion 1.3 further prohibits young workers from working night hours, while Criterion 1.4 forbids exposing children or young workers to hazardous or unsafe situations in or outside the workplace.
What to do now
- Develop and document written child labour remediation procedures that define immediate safety actions, school enrollment protocols, and financial support mechanisms.
- Communicate remediation policies to all personnel, suppliers, subcontractors, sub-suppliers, and local interested parties in accessible languages.
- Establish robust age verification procedures during recruitment, inspecting reliable identity documents to prevent child labour non-conformances.
- Create operational tracking systems for young workers to monitor shift hours, ensure zero night work, and cap combined work, school, and transport time at 10 hours daily.
- Partner with local educational institutions and interested parties to verify school attendance and disburse ongoing financial support for remediated children.
Reference documents
- SA8000: 2014 Standard
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