View previous stories
	Child labour rises to 160 million, with millions more at risk by UNICEF, ILO, agencies   The Appalling Increase in Child Labor, by Kailash Satyarthi for Project Syndicate.   For the first time in two decades, the number of child workers has increased. The shocking rise – from 152 million to 160 million worldwide, according to recent United Nations data – occurred in the four years that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic.   There can be absolutely no excuse for this. The world took its eyes off the target – namely, the promise we made to end child labor by 2025. Today, we have made a mockery of that promise. What is even more outrageous is that the increase in child labor occurred during a period when global wealth rose by $10 trillion.   The pandemic has revealed how fundamentally unequal our world has become. According to Forbes, a new billionaire has been created every 17 hours during the pandemic.   Meanwhile, an estimated 200 million adults globally will have lost their jobs, and the International Labour Organization warns that the COVID-19 crisis could push 8.9 million more children into child labor by 2022. And, given current trends, this number will only increase.   The world is thus facing not only a health crisis, but also a crisis of equality, justice, and morality. There is more than enough wealth for every child to be able to go to school instead of having to work to survive. The question is how we choose to share that wealth, and with whom.   So far, we have not given our children their fair share. But we can start to do so now. In view of the immediate crisis, world leaders must allocate to the poorest and most marginalized children their fair share of global wealth, channeling it through government budgets and official development assistance (ODA).   They must also introduce and bolster targeted policies (including law enforcement and legislation aimed at ending child labor) and social protection (including health care, education, access to clean drinking water, sanitation, and housing).   Social protection must emphasize direct child benefits that can provide immediate and effective support to move millions of children out of danger and into school.   Programs such as the Bolsa Família in Brazil, Midday Meals in India, and Child Grants in Zambia have demonstrated the positive impact of such payments. And child-focused social protection should complement greater investment in upholding the universal right to education and health, the rule of law, and decent work for adults – all of which remain critical to ending child labor.   Public services and welfare schemes helped to end child labor in wealthy countries decades ago. Today, social protection for citizens is a high priority in these countries and accounts for the largest share of domestic government expenditure. Extending such policies to the children most in need should thus also be a high priority in the advanced economies’ ODA budgets.   This year, the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor, the world’s wealthiest countries should establish a well-resourced global social protection fund, with the key element being direct assistance to the most marginalized and at-risk children.   The International Financing for Development Conference in September this year presents the perfect opportunity to announce this. Among G20 members, Argentina, France, and the European Union have already put their weight behind the proposal, and other countries must not miss this opportunity to stand on the right side of history.   Our children do not want to listen to good intentions anymore. They need urgent and bold action now.   Less wealthy countries also have a responsibility to increase budgetary allocations to establish and strengthen social-protection floors. They should ensure that every child is protected by a safety net of education, health care, clean water, sanitation, and adequate housing.   In doing so, policymakers must put children of agricultural and migrant workers first, as well as children on the move who already are at heightened risk. We must bring the last child to the front of the line.   That means understanding a child’s life, freedom, and future holistically. The perpetuation of child labor results in poor education and health care, leading in turn to intergenerational poverty.   It is well established that in certain countries, every 1% increase in poverty leads to an increase in child labor of at least 0.7%.   Ending child labor is achievable. We know the solution to child labor, and we have the wealth and knowledge to implement it. What we currently lack is political will.   Today, 160 million children are working at the cost of their education, freedom, and future, and millions more are at risk. But a childhood without exploitation should not be a privilege. Every child matters. As we heal and move forward from the pandemic, we must take all of them with us.   http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/social-protection-to-end-exploitation-of-child-labor-by-kailash-satyarthi-2021-06 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/05/un-experts-urge-action-address-alarming-increase-child-labour-agriculture http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_845804/lang--en/index.htm http://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/29339:malawi-coming-together-across-borders-to-eradicate-child-labour   * Kailash Satyarthi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is the founder of Laureates and Leaders for Children, Honorary President of the Global March Against Child Labor, and the founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement).   * A Fair Share to End Child Labour: Universal Social Protection for Children in Low-Income Countries: http://www.laureatesandleaders.org/unga2021   June 2021   The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years – with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.   'Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward', released to mark World Day Against Child Labour warns that progress to end child labour has stalled, reversing the previous downward trend that saw child labour fall by 94 million between 2000 and 2016.   The report points to a significant rise in the number of children aged 5 to 11 years in child labour, who now account for just over half of the total global figure. The number of children aged 5 to 17 years in hazardous work – defined as work that is likely to harm their health, safety or morals – has risen by 6.5 million to 79 million since 2016.   “The new estimates are a wake-up call. We cannot stand by while a new generation of children is put at risk,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.   “Inclusive social protection allows families to keep their children in school even in the face of economic hardship. Increased investment in rural development and decent work in agriculture is essential. We are at a pivotal moment and much depends on how we respond. This is a time for renewed commitment and energy, to turn the corner and break the cycle of poverty and child labour.”   In sub-Saharan Africa, population growth, recurrent crises, extreme poverty, and inadequate social protection measures have led to an additional 16.6 million children in child labour over the past four years.   Even in regions where there has been some headway since 2016, such as Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, COVID-19 is endangering that progress.   The report warns that globally, 9 million additional children are at risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022 as a result of the pandemic. A simulation model shows this number could rise to 46 million if they don’t have access to critical social protection coverage.   Additional economic shocks and school closures caused by COVID-19 mean that children already in child labour may be working longer hours or under worsening conditions, while many more may be forced into the worst forms of child labour due to job and income losses among vulnerable families.   “We are losing ground in the fight against child labour, and the last year has not made that fight any easier,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.   “Now, well into a second year of global lockdowns, school closures, economic disruptions, and shrinking national budgets, families are forced to make heart-breaking choices. We urge governments and international development banks to prioritize investments in programmes that can get children out of the workforce and back into school, and in social protection programmes that can help families avoid making this choice in the first place.”   Other key findings in the report include:   The agriculture sector accounts for 70 per cent of children in child labour (112 million) followed by 20 per cent in services (31.4 million) and 10 per cent in industry (16.5 million).Nearly 28 per cent of children aged 5 to 11 years and 35 per cent of children aged 12 to 14 years in child labour are out of school.   Child labour is more prevalent among boys than girls at every age. When household chores performed for at least 21 hours per week are taken into account, the gender gap in child labour narrows.   The prevalence of child labour in rural areas (14 per cent) is close to three times higher than in urban areas (5 per cent).   Children in child labour are at risk of physical and mental harm. Child labour compromises children’s education, restricting their rights and limiting their future opportunities, and leads to vicious inter-generational cycles of poverty and child labour.   To reverse the upward trend in child labour, the ILO and UNICEF are calling for:   Adequate social protection for all, including universal child benefits. Increased spending on quality education and getting all children back into school - including children who were out of school before COVID-19.   Promotion of decent work for adults, so families don’t have to resort to children helping to generate family income. An end to harmful gender norms and discrimination that influence child labour.   Investment in child protection systems, agricultural development, rural public services, infrastructure and livelihoods.   As part of the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, the global partnership Alliance 8.7, of which UNICEF and ILO are partners, is encouraging member States, business, trade unions, civil society, and regional and international organizations to redouble their efforts in the global fight against child labour by making concrete action pledges: http://endchildlabour2021.org/child-labour/   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/child-labour-rises-160-million-first-increase-two-decades http://data.unicef.org/resources/child-labour-2020-global-estimates-trends-and-the-road-forward/ http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm http://reliefweb.int/report/world/urgent-action-needed-stop-child-labour-africa-covid-19-pushes-more-children-work http://bit.ly/3wMt2aq http://endchildlabour2021.org/child-labour/ http://globalmarch.org/ http://www.pace-consortium.org/ http://alliancecpha.org/en/cltf http://alliancecpha.org/en/child-protection-online-library/background-paper-reducing-child-labour-agriculture-humanitarian   http://www.hrw.org/report/2021/05/26/i-must-work-eat/covid-19-poverty-and-child-labor-ghana-nepal-and-uganda http://www.iradvocates.org/press-release/nestle/today-nestle-and-cargill-are-still-using-child-slaves-harvest-cocoa-help-stop http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57522186 http://earthrights.org/media/scotus-rules-that-u-s-corporations-can-profit-from-child-slavery-abroad/ http://www.antislavery.org/ending-child-slavery/   * Business & Human Rights Resource Centre; Child Labour: http://bit.ly/35GkUwk Visit the related web page
	Renewing progress on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health in the era of COVID-19 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)   This action brief summarizes the latest status and trends of key areas related to women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being from a global perspective.   It aims to promote coordinated action among global and national partners to recognize and overcome the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, children and adolescents and to accelerate progress to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   Rise, Respond, Recover is an update to Protect the Progress: 2020 progress report on Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Childrens’ and Adolescents’ Health (September 2020), capturing key evidence points presented in May 2021 to the World Health Assembly as well as top priorities and activities among partners.   The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented threat to the core focus of the Every Woman Every Child movement: the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents worldwide.   Hard-earned progress in improving their ability to thrive and survive and in creating new opportunities for the world’s most vulnerable people is endangered on nearly all fronts.   The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing vulnerabilities and failures in health, social, political and economic systems that ought to safeguard women, children and adolescents.   School closures impacting 1.6 billion children, the growing burden on local health systems for the delivery of primary care, heightened risk of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation amid intensifying containment measures and rising economic pressures are all threatening livelihoods and exacerbating gender inequality.   The overall message is dire. In times of crisis, the well-being and rights of women, children and adolescents are rarely prioritized. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different, as women, children and adolescents are bearing a disproportionate brunt of the economic and social consequences of shutting down societies.   Their lives and prospects are more precarious as a result and could remain at this level of insecurity after the pandemic ends. The impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.   50% of the countries report partial or severe disruptions in routine immunization services, malaria prevention campaigns, family planning and antenatal care services.   At least 13 million additional child marriages taking place by 2030 that otherwise would not have occurred.   At least 1,157,000 additional child deaths and 56700 additional maternal deaths, due to а 45% reduction in the coverage of key high-impact maternal and child health interventions over 6 months in 118 low- and middle-income countries   At least 40 million children worldwide have missed out on early childhood education as COVID-19 shuttered childcare and early education facilities.   At least 7 million unintended pregnancies in the coming months, due to ongoing lockdowns and major disruptions to health services.   With at least 150 million additional children plunged into poverty due to COVID-19.   Today still every 13 seconds a newborn baby died. Every hour 33 women did not survive childbirth. 7.4 million children and young people aged under 25 years died of preventable causes. An estimated 14 million infants were not reached by vaccination services.   75% of children aged 2 to 4 years were regularly subjected to violent forms of discipline.33,000 girls a day were forced into marriages, usually to much older men.   Over 132 million girls were out of school. 43% of schools around the world lacked access to basic handwashing with soap and water.   Where a baby is born is a significant determinant in whether the child survives and thrives or suffers hardship. 82% of under-5 deaths were concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.   The under-5 mortality rate is 3 times higher in the 36 countries classified as ‘fragile’ than in ‘non-fragile’ countries.   Where a baby is born is a significant determinant in whether the child survives and thrives or suffers hardship. 86% of all maternal deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Maternal and child mortality rates are substantially higher in countries chronically affected by conflict.   Where a baby is born is a significant determinant in whether the child survives and thrives or suffers hardship. 4,500 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years became infected with HIV every week in sub-Saharan Africa.   There are solutions for advancing maternal, newborn and child survival, and they must be adapted to widely divergent realities in countries.   We must not let mothers and children become collateral damage in the fight against the virus. And we must not let decades of progress on reducing preventable child and maternal deaths be lost.   * Access the full report via the link below.   http://protect.everywomaneverychild.org/ http://data.unicef.org/resources/renewing-progress-on-womens-childrens-and-adolescents-health-in-the-era-of-covid-19/ http://www.healthynewbornnetwork.org/ Visit the related web page
	View more stories