Since 2000, some 94 million children have been removed from work, but those gains are now at risk from the pandemic

COVID-19 economic crisis will push millions of children into child labour

photo_camera ILO/M. CROZET - Child labour in Pakistan

Without social protection measures, factors such as school closures, parental deaths, reduced remittances, general lack of work and increased informal labour will leave millions of children around the world exposed to exploitation, trafficking and forced labour.  The coronavirus crisis could push millions of additional children into child labour and halt 20 years of progress in eliminating this scourge, warns a new report from the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund. 

Since 2000, some 94 million children have been removed from work, but those gains are now at risk from the pandemic. According to the agencies, those already suffering from this exploitation could be working longer hours or in worse conditions, and others could be forced to endure terrible work, with significant damage to their health and safety.

This would occur mainly because of increasing poverty, which pushes households to resort to all available means to survive. According to the report, when poverty increases by 1%, child labour increases by 0.7% in some countries. 
"In times of crisis, child labour becomes a coping mechanism for many families. As poverty rises, schools close and the availability of social services decreases, more children are pushed into the workforce," says UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. 

Niño Gaza

According to the report, the most vulnerable groups, such as people working in the informal economy and migrants, will suffer most from the economic downturn, increased informality and unemployment, the general fall in living standards, health crises and inadequate social protection systems, among other pressures

Falling living standards

In previous crises that propelled falling living standards, many low- and middle-income countries saw dramatic reversals in progress in reducing child labour and enrolling children in school. A study in Côte d’Ivoire on the drop in cocoa prices in the 1990 economic crisis found that a 10% fall in income led to a more than 3% decline in school enrolment, and a more than 5% increase in child labour.

Niño turco

According to the report, evidence from economic downturns in Latin America points to weaker or even marginally positive impacts from recession, especially when proper social protection measures are in place. 
During the coffee crisis in Central America from 2000 to 2001, for instance, several countries of the subregion witnessed progress in primary school enrolment rates and a slight decline in child labour. Social assistance programmes played an important role in protecting household well-being. Households in coffee-growing areas with social assistance programmes could better protect household expenditures and children’s school attendance compared to those in coffeegrowing areas without such programmes.

Deteriorating employment

Global working hours fell in the first quarter of 2020 by an estimated 4.5% compared to the last quarter of 2019. This adds up to approximately 130 million full-time jobs, assuming a 48-hour work week. Overall working hours in the second quarter are expected to be 10.5% lower, equivalent to 305 million full-time jobs. 
Fewer employment opportunities and lower wages can drive people into informal or exploitative work, which can further suppress wages and in turn contribute to child labour. Compared to adults, children are more likely to accept work for less pay and in vulnerable conditions. Businesses may deliberately recruit children to cut costs and boost earnings.

The fact is that children are often the most available labour in households. Parental unemployment due to economic shocks in Brazil has led children to step in to provide temporary support, for example. Similar effects have been documented in Guatemala, India, Mexico and the United Republic of Tanzania. One form of financial relief for families is to cut school fees. This was an important part of how households coped with the Great Recession in El Salvador, with families shifting attendance from private to public schools within a school year to reduce expenditures on schooling.

Niños trabajando

When families cannot find work and run out of options for sustenance even at home, children may be sent away, rendering them vulnerable to exploitation. Similar consequences may result if family members relocate or separate. Children left behind or alone are even less protected and more vulnerable to the worst forms of labour. After the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, for instance, the breakdown of private and public protection mechanisms drove increased human trafficking of children.

Rising informality

Past economic shocks have prompted growth in informal employment as those laid off from formal work seek any alternative source of income. As is well documented, child labour is prevalent mainly in the informal economy, where children can easily step in as unskilled labourers. Threats to children’s rights from an enlarged informal sector should therefore not be underestimated. Greater informal employment coupled with economic hardship could push many children out of school and into the labour market.

In addition, experts say, some households will start new enterprises to cope with job loss and economic displacement, which may prompt more child labour. Recent evidence from Malawi, the Philippines and Zambia highlights how when production grows inside homes, child labour will also rise.

Declining remittances

The global economic slowdown is certain to reduce domestic and international remittances. The latter mainly originate from the European Union and the United States of America. According to the report, in the past, international remittances have been shown to reduce child labour in poor countries. 

When migrants remit less income, families suffer. Studies of the Great Recession found that it considerably cut remittances from the United States to Mexico. Families experiencing a decline were more likely to have children in child labour. Studies of the Asian financial crisis indicated that remittances supported family businesses while sustaining schooling and protecting against child labour.

Trabajo infantil

In addition, forced returns of migrant workers in some countries have resulted in children and families being stranded at borders or confined to quarantine centres. In Nepal, the closure of some brick kilns, coupled with lack of transport, has prevented some 12,000 people, including 2,000 children, from returning to their home villages.

A looming credit crisis

A credit crisis reduces household investment, including in schooling, which can produce more child labour, a progression evident, for instance, in South Africa. A contraction in credit can make school fees less affordable, which keeps children out of school, and may increase child labour as a self-insurance strategy.

In addition, when formal and informal credit options are unavailable, households can turn to more desperate ways to access credit, such as bonded labour. This has been a common strategy in recent history,53 and the COVID-19 crisis could make it even worse. There is already anecdotal evidence of bonded child labour associated with the pandemic. The risk that children will be exploited by predatory lenders may grow especially once lockdown measures are lifted and normal manufacturing activities resume.

Contracting international trade

Globally, international trade has collapsed, with expectations for the slump to persist as it did after the 2008 financial crisis. The pandemic caused a 3 per cent drop in global trade values in the first quarter of 2020. The downturn is predicted to accelerate in the second quarter. Recent forecasts see a decline of 27%.

Túnez

Given how tightly woven global supply chains have become, measures to stop the spread of the virus, such as the closure of borders, transport and businesses, have suppressed global exports and imports, and cut production. Such shifts can influence the living standards of the poor by inflating prices while reducing income from labour and family assets. A decline in trade that diminishes living standards will worsen child labour, the report warns. 

Shutting down schools: another risk factor

According to the agencies, evidence is increasingly indicating that child labor is increasing as schools close during the pandemic. The temporary closure of educational institutions is currently affecting more than one billion students in over 130 countries. Even when school resumes, some parents can no longer afford to send their children to school. 

Experts warn that this causes more children to be forced into hazardous work or exploited.  In addition, gender inequalities may become more acute, with girls particularly vulnerable to exploitation in agriculture and domestic work

Hospital

Evidence about child labour rising as schools close during the global shutdown is gradually mounting. In Malawi, for instance, the Government closed schools to prevent the spread of the virus. Unable to learn, children soon ended up with other tasks. As one child says, “Many parents in my neighbourhood have taken advantage of the ‘holiday’ to send children to town to sell fruits and vegetables.”

The death of the parents

The rising number of deaths from COVID-19 is trailed by growing numbers of children left without one or both parents as well as other caregivers such as grandparents. Children deprived of family care are particularly vulnerable to child labour, trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

Evidence from previous crises suggests that where health systems are underresourced and social protection mechanisms are lacking, families are highly likely to experience severe health shocks. Many workers, especially those in the informal sector, have no choice but to continue working, which increases their risks of falling ill. Households may face catastrophic health costs exacerbated by losing a household breadwinner or pension recipient. Child labour then becomes a survival strategy. Girls in particular may take on greater roles in caring for household members who fall ill.

Niña estudiando

When adult household members get sick or die, it is not unusual for children to take over their work. Maternal death results in the need for labour inside the home. One recent study in Mali documented how the illness of female family members causes children to assume certain tasks. Even as children’s work and that of their mothers are typically closely intertwined, however, mothers often play a monitoring role in making sure children continue in school.

In addition, anecdotal evidence from different countries reveals that since people think that children are not affected by COVID-19, they are put to work instead of adults. They care for sick family members and do grocery shopping and other activities that entail breaking the quarantine. They supplement family income when adults are unable to work, especially since they can skip or bypass curfews as they are less visible and less likely to be caught by police.


Recommendations 

“In imagining the world after COVID-19, we must ensure that children and their families have the tools they need to face similar storms in the future. Quality education, social protection services and the best economic opportunities can change the rules of the game, “added the head of UNICEF. The director of the International Labor Organization also stressed that social protection is vital in these times of crisis. “Integrating concerns about child labor into broader policies on education, social protection, justice, labor markets, and international human and labor rights makes a critical difference,” said Guy Rider. The report proposes a series of measures to counter the threat of increased child labor, including:


-    more comprehensive social protection.
-    easier access to credit for poor households.
-    promoting decent work for adults.
-    measures for children to return to school, including the elimination of school fees.
-    more resources for labor inspections and law enforcement.

The ILO and UNICEF are developing a simulation model to analyze the impact of COVID-19 in child labor worldwide. New global estimates on child labor will be released in 2021. The International Labor Organization launched the “World Day Against Child Labor” in 2002 to raise awareness of the magnitude of this problem and join efforts to eradicate it. World Day this 2020 focuses on the impact of the crisis on child labor exploitation and calls on countries and organizations to protect the most vulnerable during the management and recovery of this crisis. 

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