Introduction: The life-world of child labour is an arena in which poverty and work are deeply intertwined, producing profound experiences of deprivation and exploitation. Child labour remains one of the most painful consequences of structural inequality in developing societies. According to the 2026 reports of the ILO and UNICEF, approximately 138 million children worldwide are engaged in labour. From the perspective of industrial sociology, this phenomenon arises from the complex interplay of economic structures, the dual labour market, and socializing institutions. In Iran, despite the ratification of protective legislation, child labour in midsized cities such as Yasouj endures severe poverty, forced breadwinning, violence, and limited legal awareness. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, despite its natural resources, remains economically underdeveloped, and Yasouj—characterized by widespread unemployment and a shortage of sustainable job opportunities—has become a fertile ground for the spread of child labour. This study aims to explore the life-world of male child labour in Yasouj and how their legal awareness is shaped within this life-world. Method: This study employed a qualitative approach using interpretive phenomenology. Participants comprised 24 male child labour aged 9 to 15 in Yasouj, selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation in age, type of work, work experience, education, family size, guardianship status, and institutional support. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and subsequently analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. To enhance trustworthiness, Lincoln and Guba's evaluative criteria were systematically applied. Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of five main themes and 11 subthemes. The main themes are: structural poverty, ignorance of the law, school an unlived experience, exploitation, and survival and meaning-making strategies. Ultimately, the study’s overarching theme was identified as the lifeworld of child labour besieged by legal ignorance. this theme highlights the profound gap between theoretical rights and the justice actually experienced in the lives of child labour, illustrating that they are effectively constrained by a lack of legal awareness. Conclusion: The life-world of child laborers in Yasouj is shaped by the complex interplay of unjust economic structures, the culture of poverty, social disorganization, and relative deprivation, thereby perpetuating their marginalization within both society and the legal framework. The concept of "unlived experience" is introduced as a novel analytical construct, illuminating how educational deprivation undermines the identity and agency of child laborers. Realizing the rights of child laborers demands national commitment and a coordinated, multidimensional approach wherein various institutions collaborate to eradicate the structural determinants of poverty and limited legal awareness.