Throughout much of the developing world, children make up an alarming portion of the workforce. These children are robbed of their childhood in order to provide economic supplementation to their families. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 5.7 million children in Latin America participate in the regional workforce (2006). It is a common misconception that children, who do not participate in the formal workforce, are not child laborers. However, the ILO defines child labor as any work that is detrimental to a child’s well-being or interferes with a child’s education. Due to the many categories and classifications of child labor, as well as its far-reaching causes, child labor in Latin America is difficult to combat. It is not only the direct result of poverty; its causes are societal and cultural as well. Child labor is a significant problem, not only because of its direct impact on the child, but because of the implications it has on society and culture as a whole
