Children and e-waste: key messages

The escalating consumption of newer electrical and electronic equipment every year has been likened to a tsunami of e-waste. Unmanaged and improperly managed e-waste is polluting soil, water and air, harming the health of communities, especially children. E-waste includes items such as refrigerators, washing machines, computers, cellphones and other consumer electronics. As many as 18 million children and adolescents, and about 13 million women, are working in the informal sector, of which e-waste is a sub-sector. With millions of children’s lives at stake, we must take urgent action to end child labour and protect children’s health from the effects of e-waste.