June12, 2020 – Millions of children could be pushed into child labour as a result of the global COVID-19 crisis, which could lead to rise in child labour for the first time in 20 years of progress, according to a news brief from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.
According to a study titled “COVID-19 and child labour: A time of crisis, a time to act,” child labour decreased by 94 million from the year 2000 to the eve of the global Corona Pandemic, but that gain is now at risk.
According to the Report Children that are already in child labour may be working longer hours or under worsening conditions and more of them may be forced into the worst forms of labour, which could cause significant harm to their health and safety.
The Director-General of International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder said that “as the pandemic wreaks havoc on family incomes, without support, many could resort to child labour.” Ryder further noted that social protection is vital in times of crisis because it provides assistance to the most vulnerable persons. “Integrating child labour concerns across broader policies for education, social protection, justice, labour markets, and international human and labour rights makes a critical difference,” he emphasized.
According to the brief, COVID-19 could cause poverty to rise, which in turn would increase child labour as households use every available means to survive. The Report reveals that some studies show that a one percentage point rise in poverty leads to at least a 0.7 per cent increase in child labour in certain countries.
UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, said: “In times of crisis, child labour becomes a coping mechanism for many families.” She also asserted that crises also causes poverty to rise, schools to close and the available social services to decrease, thus pushing more children into the workforce.
“As we reimagine the post COVID-19 world, we need to make sure that children and their families have the tools they need to weather similar storms in the future. Quality education, social protection services and better economic opportunities can be game changers,” he advised.
He further noted that vulnerable population groups – such as those working in the informal economy and migrant workers – would suffer most from economic downturn, increased informality and unemployment, general fall in living standards, health shocks and insufficient social protection systems and other pressures.
He contended that evidence is gradually mounting that child labour is rising as schools remain closed during the pandemic, adding that the temporal closure of schools currently affects over 1 billion learners in over 130 countries. “Even when classes restart, some parents may no longer be able to afford to send their children to school,” he emphasized.
The brief further says that this could prompt more children to venture into exploitative and hazardous jobs, cause a more acute growth in Gender inequalities with girls particularly vulnerable to exploitation in agriculture and domestic work. It also proposes a number of measures to counter the threat of increased child labour, including more comprehensive social protection, easier access to credit for poor households, the promotion of decent work for adults, measures to get children back into schools, including the elimination of school fees, and more resources for labour inspections and law enforcement.
ILO and UNICEF are developing a simulation model to look at the impact of COVID-19 on child labour globally. New global estimates on child labour will be released in 2021.
By Sallieu Kanu
15/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7845