Climate Change, Environmental Stressors, and Child Labor: The (In)Visible Links

This chapter provides a synopsis of the interconnectedness of climate change and child labor. The authors reviewed scholarly articles, organizational reports, and gray literature on climate change, modern slavery, and child labor. The first section of the chapter deals with a broad overview of the interplay between climate change and its impacts, including environmental stressors and structural inequalities. The second section frames the concept of modern slavery in the context of child labor and climate change. Critically and from a rights perspective, climate crises lead to structural gender inequality through environmental risk factors compounded by economic stressors and social inequities. Increasing evidence underscores the importance of climate change as a threat multiplier for child labor, particularly in the agriculture sector, where 70% of all child labor is located.