The UN is due to release new data on the extent of child labor worldwide next year.
Geneva, Switzerland:
Millions of children could be pushed to work by the coronavirus crisis, the UN said on Friday as it prepared for the first increase in child labor in two decades.
In a joint brief, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, noted that the number of children trapped in child labor had decreased by 94 million since 2000.
But UN agencies have warned that “the COVID-19 pandemic poses very real risks of turning back the clock.”
Friday’s report said the crisis is likely to cause a significant increase in poverty.
According to the World Bank, the number of people in extreme poverty could explode up to 60 million this year alone.
“As the pandemic wreaks havoc on families’ income without support, many may resort to child labor,” said ILO chief Guy Ryder in a statement.
The relationship between rising poverty and increased child labor seems clear, the report says, pointing to studies from some countries indicating that a 1% increase in poverty results in at least a 0.7% increase in child labor.
The report also points out that the crisis could push already working children to extend their working hours in worsening conditions.
Others may be forced into the worst forms of work, seriously threatening their health and safety, the report said.
“Adaptation mechanism”
The brief pointed out that children who lose one or both parents during the coronavirus crisis may be forced to act as breadwinners or find themselves more vulnerable to exploitation.
Girls, she warned, are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in agriculture and domestic work.
“In times of crisis, child labor becomes a coping mechanism for many families,” said UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore in the statement.
Agencies have expressed concern over growing evidence that child labor has increased with the closure of schools during the pandemic.
They noted that temporary school closings now affect more than one billion students in more than 130 countries.
And even when classes resume, parents may no longer be able to afford their education.
The brief proposed a series of corrective measures, including the elimination of school fees, and urged countries to strengthen social protections and facilitate access to credit for poor households.
“As we reinvent the world after COVID, we need to ensure that children and their families have the tools they need to weather similar storms in the future,” said Fore.
“Quality education, social protection services and better economic opportunities can be a game-changer.”
According to the latest ILO estimates published in 2017, around 152 million children were forced to work from 2012 to 2016, including 73 million in dangerous positions.
The UN is due to release new data on the extent of child labor worldwide next year.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
