Millions more children risk being pushed into child labour as a result of the COVID-19 crisis , which could lead to the first rise in child labour after 20 years of progress, according to a report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.

The corona crisis may lead to an increase in poverty, schools are closing and social services are less available. Temporary school closures affect more than 1 billion children in 130 countries, and the report shows that child labour is also increasing as a result. Even when classes start again, some parents are unable to send their children back to school due to loss of income.

The report 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 school, including the elimination of school fees, and more resources for labour inspections and law enforcement.

See the report “COVID-19 and child labour: A time of crisis, a time to act” in this link.