This article is part of the ongoing debate about the existence of an implicit social clause within the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The article highlights the difficulties of complying with the requirement of "necessity" of Article XX (a) and XX (b) of the GATT, which any trade restrictive measures aimed at eradicating child labor would face. To this end, the article relies on the jurisprudence of the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO and takes into account the position of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Fund for Childhood (UNICEF) on trade sanctions and child labor. The analysis is complemented by the results of a field study conducted by the author in Ecuador on hazardous child labour in the flower industry and the potential effects of trade sanctions on minors.