Guardianship Wheels
Systemic Resource Center

Level 6 |
Promoting the rights and the best interests of the child

Work

Work

Unaccompanied children may have an interest in accessing the labour market, finding employment or part-time jobs they can combine with school education. There may be expectations of the child to support their family financially or to pay off debts incurred for the journey, and children simply may have needs and wishes for which they need money.

Guardians are responsible for ensuring that children access work and employment in accordance with their rights and best interests. This requires specific attention to national laws regulating the work and employment of adolescents, access to work permits for migrants and asylum seekers, applicable minimum ages and special protection measures for children at the workplace, in light of the child’s age and maturity, gender, health, immigration status and other relevant factors.

When assessing the best interests of the child with regard to work and employment, the child’s experiences in countries of origin and transit should be taken into consideration, as the child may have been involved in child labour, including the worst forms of child labour, and other forms of exploitation.

See also:

Level 4: Statutory age limits

Reference:


EU training and learning platform for guardians of unaccompanied children
Chapter 3: Supporting the child from arrival to durable solution

Literature:

International Labour Organization (undated), What is child labour . Terre des Hommes (2016), Because we struggle to survive, Child labour among refugees of the Syrian conflict, Child labour report, Lausanne.  
 

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