Instrument for Psychosocial Assessment of Child Workers: Background & References

Child workers’ psychological health still receives little attention from either researchers or practitioners compared to other aspects of child labour. In order to gain a fuller understanding of the implications that work has for a child’s psychological functioning and development, the ILO commissioned the development of an instrument that could be used to document the effects. The purpose of this paper is to present the research evidence on which each of the questions in this instrument is based and to show how the instrument incorporates, builds upon and expands on existing tools and concepts. It is also intended to serve as a reference that can facilitate further work on this subject or as a quick review of research and instruments in this field.