Is child labour a substitute for adult labour?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight that child labour is complementary to adult labour in the brick kiln industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a case study of bonded labourers in the brick kiln industry of Southeast India. Findings – The paper finds that child labour is used by parents in the moulding process in order to avoid falling into debt bondage. In this industry, brick making is organized as a home‐based enterprise. Thus, child labour increases the family productivity and consequently its income. In case of a ban on child labour bonded parents will be worse‐off. NGOs can play an essential role by preventing families from falling into bondage and by improving their living standards. Originality/value – The results may help the NGOs address child labour issues in the developing world.