This disturbing new study provides a sharp and wide-ranging analysis of the economic exploitation of children. The author exposes the myth that child labour exists only in the third world, showing it to be an integral part of industrial societies both East and West. In the first comprehensive study of this issue, Alec Fyfe examines the economic and social conditions under which child labour flourishes in the USA, Britain, Europe, Central and South America and India. He looks at exploitation in the cities and in the country, and the impact of urbanization on patterns on child labour. Other areas discussed include the growth of child prostitution, the phenomenon of street children, child soldiers, and the impact of world recession on children's lives. The author discusses the role of international organizations such as the International Labour Organization and UNICEF in establishing international rights for children and in forming conceptions of what childhood should be. Fyfe concludes by calling for an overall anti-poverty strategy to combat world-wide exploitation, of which child labour is one particularly horrific aspect. This important work sets the agenda for debate in this area and will be of great interest to anyone working in the area of social work, child welfare, development studies and international politics.