Child laborers at an all-time high: we are losing in the fight against child labor

Child laborers at an all-time high: we are losing in the fight against child labor

With the economic and health crisis, child labor is on the rise. We need the participation of children in decision-making processes.

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The plague of child labor is on a worrying increase worldwide, with an estimated 160 million children employed in child labor in 2020 and another 9 million at risk as a result of the current Covid-19 epidemic. We are witnessing a peak period of the phenomenon, and therefore a stalemate in progress, compared to the last twenty years.





They are denied the right to go to school, the opportunity to play and enjoy their loved ones. Many children are involved in the production processes of the globalized economy: in agriculture, mining, services and industries for the production of goods for export. They are often confined, marginalized, exposed to physical and psychological suffering. trapped in jobs that jeopardize their mental and physical health and condemn them to a life without entertainment or education.

Il 12nd June occurs the World Day Against Child Labor. This year is the first World Day since the universal ratification of the Convention n. 182 of the ILO on the worst forms of child labor

The greatest global attention is now paid to the resolution of the coronavirus pandemic crisis, so it is feared that the perceived disinterest of the international community regarding the burning issue of child labor could undermine the efforts made so far to stop the phenomenon. 

Rafiqullah, 12, sells bananas in Afghanistan. Due to poverty and lack of access, he cannot attend school.

COVID-19 is putting 9 million more children at risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022. We must #EndChildLabour once and for all. pic.twitter.com/UD8NaUhn1a

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 10, 2021

The data contained in the last relationship (June 2021), drawn up jointly by theILO and by 'UNICEF, talk about 160 million of children exploited in work in 2020, with an increase of 8,4 million children in the last four years.

There is also a significant increase in the number of children between the ages of 5 and 11 involved in child labor, which now account for just over half of the total globally. The number of children between the ages of 5 and 17 doing hazardous work, defined as jobs that can harm their health, safety or ethical conscience, has increased from 6,5 million to 79 million since 2016.



Index

The data of the ILO-Unicef ​​report

In 'Africa sub-sahariana, population growth, coupled with chronic crises and instability, extreme poverty and inadequate social protection measures, has led to 16,6 million children turning into child labor within four years.

Unfortunately, even in areas of the world where progress has been made since 2016, such as theAsia and Pacifico,Latin america and Caraibi, the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are reversing the trend.

The current pandemic has aggravated the economic problems of many families in every corner of the planet and the continuing closure of schools has forced the most fragile and vulnerable families, without social and health assistance and left to themselves, to send their children to work to contribute to the family income. The poor protection of children employed in child labor also generates psycho-physical problems in minors, which can become permanent. All these problematic aspects should be urgently addressed to eradicate child labor.

In this regard, the Director-General of the ILO, Guy Ryder, stated that:

“The guarantee of one inclusive social protection it allows families to keep their children in school even in the event of financial difficulties. More investment in rural development and decent working conditions in agriculture would be essential. We are experiencing a crucial moment and a lot depends on how we react. The time has come to renew commitment and energy, for a turning point that breaks the vicious circle of poverty and child labor ".

In a nutshell, the report shows that:

  • The agricultural sector sees 70% of children employed in child labor (112 million), followed by 20% in services (31,4 million) and 10% in industry (16,5 million);
  • Almost 28% of children aged between 5 and 11 and 35% of children aged between 12 and 14, victims of child labor, do not go to school;
  • child labor is more common among boys than girls of all age groups. If we consider housework performed for at least 21 hours per week, the gender gap in child labor is significantly reduced;
  • Child labor is concentrated in rural areas (14%) and is almost three times higher than that carried out in urban areas (5%).

International initiatives

Precisely in the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor (2021), the global partnership Alliance 8.7, of which UNICEF and ILO are partners, encourages Member States, businesses, trade unions, civil society and regional and international organizations to redouble their efforts for the global fight against child labor, making concrete and not just formal commitments.



On the week 10-17 June, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder and UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore will take part, together with other high-level speakers and representatives of the younger generation, in an important event organized within the framework of the International Labor Conference. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the publication of the new global estimates and plan the actions to be taken in the future to eradicate child labor.

Participation of children in decision making

For its part, the NGO of international solidarity Terre des Hommes stresses the importance of creating spaces where child workers can participate in local and global political debates, in line with art. 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Listening to the opinions, suggestions and, therefore, the needs and requirements of child workers, according to Terre des Hommes, is the starting point both for identifying effective policies and for making decisions that can lead to sustainable and lasting change.

In 2021, the NGO is in the process of establishing 25 advisory committees made up of child workers from all over the world, who will share experiences and needs and provide recommendations in times of political debate. Inserted in the framework of the international campaign Dialogue Works – Anchoring working children’s collaboration in social and policy process (2020-2024) and implemented in collaboration with Kindernothilfe, this project will help to identify ad hoc and not generalized solutions, able to meet the needs of children who work in the specific political, socio-economic and environmental context in which they operate.

Terre des Hommes is also a partner of Child Labor: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA), a research-action program focused on children, which aims to identify the key factors involved in the worst forms of work. and to develop innovative solutions to prevent it in countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal.

Terre des Hommes therefore invites national governments, the European Union (EU), international institutions and the international community to offer safe and protected spaces, in which child workers can be heard in the course of decision-making processes, in order to keep account of their opinions and suggestions.

In particular, Terre des Hommes recommends the EU (European Commission, European External Action Services) to ensure that the thematic program Human rights and democracy of the "Global Europe" Instrument promote the participation of children and young people from the most vulnerable communities, including child workers, through specific structures and adequate participation mechanisms, precisely to allow them to be actively involved in decisions that affect their lives, rights and freedoms .

Sources: Unicef/Terre des Hommes

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