Children are working across the clothing industry supply chain, from cotton fields to mills to garment factories in developing countries. Up to 99 per cent of the world’s cotton farmers are in developing countries, with nearly two-thirds in India and China. The children working in these cotton fields receive little if any pay.

Child labor in India’s cotton sector is particularly prevalent. Almost half a million Indian children, with the majority being girls belonging to dalit and adivasi families, work on cotton seed farms. Children under 14 years account for almost 25 per cent of the total workforce on cotton seed farms in India. In Gujarat, which has the largest cotton seed production in India, children account for almost 55 per cent of all children employed in the cotton sector. Children are used to pick cotton because they are of the same height as cotton plants.

A number of factors contribute to child labor in India. One is that it is socialized and therefore accepted. Poverty and illiteracy are two other factors. When parents are trapped in dire poverty, their children are more likely to work in the garment sector and cotton fields. Poverty and a lack of livelihood options lead to a child’s need to contribute to the family income.