The United Nations warned Friday that the emerging epidemic of the Corona virus could push millions of children into the labor market, as it prepares to announce the first rise in child labor in two decades.

The International Labor Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) noted in a joint report that the number of children working has decreased by 94 million since 2000.

But the two organizations warned that "the Covid-19 pandemic poses a real risk of reversing" this trend.

A report released on Friday indicates that the crisis will likely cause a significant increase in poverty rates.

According to the International Labor Organization and UNICEF, there are more than 152 million children in the labor market globally, 72 million of them do dangerous work and are now facing more difficult conditions and work longer hours under the Corona pandemic.

The World Bank says the number of people living in extreme poverty can rise sharply by as much as 60 million this year alone.

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"While the epidemic is destroying family incomes, many of them may turn to child labor unless they get help," said ILO President Guy Ryder.

The relationship between increasing poverty and the increase in the number of child workers appears clear, according to the report, which indicated studies in a number of countries that show that a 1% increase in the poverty rate leads to an increase of at least 0.7% in child labor.

The report stresses that the crisis may push children who work mainly to work longer hours in worse conditions.

According to the report, others can be forced to engage in forms of employment that pose a major threat to their health and safety.

The report notes that children who lost one or both of their parents during the Corona virus crisis may be forced to work to earn a living, or may find themselves more vulnerable to exploitation.

The report warned that girls are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in the agricultural and housework sectors.

"In a time of crisis, child labor becomes an adjustment mechanism for many families," said UNICEF Director Henrietta Four in the statement.

The United Nations is to release updated data on the size of child labor globally next year.