CHILDHOOD
The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a global increase in child labor for the first time in twenty years, with millions more forced to work, the UN warned on Friday.
According to a joint study by the United Nations Children’s Organization (Unicef) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), the number of working children worldwide has decreased by 94 million since 2000. But “this achievement is today in danger” because of the pandemic, warn the UN agencies in a press release. According to the study, which quotes data from the World Bank, the number of people living in extreme poverty is expected to skyrocket from 40 to 60 million this year due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
According to the latest ILO estimates for the period 2012-2016, 152 million children worldwide were forced to work, and almost half, 73 million, were doing hazardous work.
“At a time when the pandemic is destroying families’ income, many of them could resort to child labor if they are not helped”, underlines ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, quoted in the press release. “In times of crisis, social protection is vital because it allows the most vulnerable to be helped”, he added.
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