Furthermore, child labour drives down adult wage levels, impoverishing families and keeping families under- or unemployed. Child labour eradication is not solely about removing children from the workplace and placing them immediately into schools. Most working children belong to the poor. The negative effects of combating child labour mainly fall upon the poor families who simply can not permit to send their children to school. Even when public primary schools exist and charge no tuition, the associated expenses can be burdensome.
Parents often have to pay for books, school supplies and uniforms.
Add child's lost wages, and the costs of schooling are immensely high. Opportunity costs for girls may be even higher. They are required to work at home due to which girls drop out at an higher rate than boys. Children's education seems a poor investment for many parents. Some children have to work almost full-time just in order to earn enough money to attend school.