Includes bibliographical references and index.

Bangladesh / Shelley Feldman, Desi Larson -- Brazil / Elizabeth KimJin Traver -- China / Xiaojun Tong, Shizhen Lu -- The Dominican Republic / B. J. Bryson, Tina Bryson -- Georgia / Nona Tsotseria -- Guatemala / David Keys, Adam DeFayette -- Honduras / Raul Zelaya, Desi Larson -- India / Desi Larson -- Iran / Reza Jalali -- Mexico / David Carey, Jr. -- South Africa / Catherine Stakeman -- South Korea / Elizabeth KimJin Traver -- Thailand / Lacey Sloan -- The United States / Pamela Pieris -- Zimbabwe / Otrude Moyo.

Child labor is a complex social and political issue with a long and evolving history. The phenomenon of child labor, including prostitution, has been a focus particularly in the last two centuries and continues to be a hot issue. Poverty, lack of education, gender inequity, the demands of the global marketplace, and easy sex tourism are some of the factors contributing to child labor in the 15 countries examined. Each chapter depicts the child labor scene in a country and the conditions, the history of the problem, child labor today, political policies and social aspects, and the outlook for the future. An unprecedented number of children around the world are working today, and this volume is a must-have, up-to-date survey for student research.