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 now in danger" due to the pandemic, warn the UN agencies in a press release. According to the study, which cites 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.
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"When poverty increases ... more children are pushed into the world of work"
The Covid-19 crisis is expected to translate into more child labor as families find themselves forced to use every means to survive, fear the ILO and UNICEF, according to whom an increase in poverty leads to an increase in child labor. "In times of crisis, child labor becomes an adaptation mechanism for many families," said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore, quoted in the press release.
"When poverty increases, schools close and the availability of social services decreases, more children are pushed into the world of work," she warns. While the pandemic is likely to force millions more children to work, others may be forced to increase the number of hours or suffer deterioration in their working conditions.
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"At a time when the pandemic is sabotaging the income of families, many could resort to child labor if they are not helped," said ILO director general Guy Ryder, quoted in the statement. "In times of crisis, social protection is vital because it helps to rescue the most vulnerable," he added. The ILO and UNICEF hope to publish new global estimates of child labor in 2021.