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This article examines a deconstruction of children’s work and child labour. First of all, it describes the more widespread visions of children’s work held by international campaigns for the elimination of child labour. Secondly, it looks at the diametrically opposing views of working children’s movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In order to understand those contrasting points of view, this article looks at representations of children, childhood, work and “progress,” children’s participation, as well as the objective of that discourse. It is suggested that not only children’s exploitation but also other questions need to be examined in order to evaluate the impact on children’s lives of eliminationist policies.