Child labor continues to be a severe issue in Liberia, especially within sectors like agriculture, rock crushing, and artisanal mining. Many families with a functional literacy rate below 50 percent rely on their children’s income as a survival strategy, particularly in rural areas. This reliance has pushed thousands of children into unsafe working conditions despite the country’s labor laws aimed at protecting young workers.
A significant factor driving child labor in Liberia is the prevalence of informal employment. The World Bank estimates that approximately 90 percent of Liberia’s population works in the informal sector, where labour protections are limited. These children, alongside other informal workers, often work in complex and hazardous environments without access to fundamental rights, like minimum wage protections or health and safety standards. For children, this usually means long hours in fields, markets, or mines, jeopardizing their education and health.
Liberia’s 2015 Decent Work Act provides the legal framework to protect workers, including setting a minimum daily wage of USD 3.50 for the informal sector. However, these provisions are seldom applied to child workers, who frequently remain outside the reach of formal labor protections. The Law prohibits exploitative practices, but enforcement remains weak due to a lack of resources within the Ministry of Labor. With limited staff and funding, the Ministry struggles to monitor and address child labor violations effectively, leaving young workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
While the Decent Work Act provides for labor inspections and workers’ rights to join unions, Liberia’s labor inspection system is under-resourced and often unable to address violations, such as forced labor, child labor, and unsafe working conditions. The Ministry of Labor recently launched an online portal to streamline the issuance of work permits for foreign workers, demonstrating some progress in regulatory reform. However, the oversight needed to combat child labor remains inadequate, with inspections mostly focused on the formal sector, leaving informal workplaces unchecked.
Liberia’s labor market is further strained by a shortage of specialized skills, making it difficult for adults to find stable, well-paying jobs. This shortage drives many families to rely on their children’s earnings to meet basic needs, trapping them in the cycle of poverty and labor exploitation. Migrant workers, often employed in sectors like artisanal mining, timber, and fishing, further complicate the labor landscape, as they, too, face vulnerable conditions with few protections.
To address the crisis, Liberia’s government, with support from international organizations, must strengthen labor oversight and increase access to education for children in vulnerable sectors. Economic support for low-income families could reduce their dependency on children’s income, helping to keep young workers out of dangerous jobs. Moreover, increased access to vocational training and formal employment opportunities for adults could alleviate the financial pressures contributing to child labor.
Although Liberia has ratified key International Labor Organization conventions on Equal Remuneration and Minimum Age, implementing these standards remains challenging without significant resource investment and stronger labor enforcement.
For now, Liberia’s child labor crisis persists, exposing young people to unsafe, exploitative conditions that hinder their development and rob them of educational opportunities. Addressing this issue demands urgent attention, with calls growing for reforms to protect the country’s young workforce and ensure a brighter future for Liberia’s children.
