This definitive resource details both the current and historical state of child labor in each region of the world, focusing on its causes, consequences, and cures. Including contributions by an international team of child labor scholars, researchers, policy-makers, and activists, as well as a wealth of current statistical data, it is the most comprehensive reference available on the subject.

The World of Child Laborprovides a current global snapshot with overview essays on the dimensions of the problem and on institutions and organizations combating child labor. Then it offers in-depth regional analyses covering developed, developing, and less developed areas of the world. The reference documents the contemporary and historical state of child labor within each major region (Africa, Latin and South America, North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania) including country-level accounts for nearly half of the world's nations.

All country-level essays address specific facets of child labor, such as industries and occupations in which children commonly work, the national child welfare policy, occupational safety regulations, educational system, and laws. Most country-level essays include current data on such vital statistics as ratifications of UN and ILO conventions, the Human Development Index, human capital indicators, economic indicators, and national child labor surveys conducted by the Statistical Information and Monitoring Program on Child Labor.