Abstract
This chapter overviews the characteristics of child labour in Africa, and focuses on the specific situation in Mali, whose conditions are representative of the sub-Saharan part of the continent. According to International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates, in 2000 there were 48 million economically active children in sub-Saharan Africa. Confronted with the huge extent of the phenomenon and its continuous growth over the years, many States have put in place individual and collective policies aimed at eliminating child labour, with the assistance of the ILO. Through the support of the ILO, the fight against the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) in Africa broadly focuses on three mechanisms: the fight against poverty and illiteracy; the adoption of national policies against child labour, and bilateral or multilateral cooperation aimed at putting in place common programmes of action. In the reports submitted to the ILO, almost all African States highlight the link between child labour and poverty.