Ups and downs in combating worst forms of child labor

By Victoria Butanu

The year 2020 left a dual, not to say paradoxical, footprint on developments in the fight against child labor. On one hand, by August 2020, all 187 member countries of the International Labor Organization (ILO) had ratified ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, committing to eliminate hazardous work that endangers children around the world. Passed in 1999, it is the most rapidly ratified convention in the UN’s history. On the other hand, the pandemic has dealt a severe blow on achievements in the sector, reversing years of progress in reducing child labor.

Worst forms of child labor

Defined as work that is harmful to children, child labor steals the childhood of 1 in 10 children aged 5 to 17 around the globe which means that about 152 million children are still subjected to this scourge according to pre-pandemic data by UNICEF with almost half involved in the worst forms of child labor.

This ratio is even higher when it comes to the world’s poorest countries where 1 in 4 children are engaged in child labor. In 2017, four African nations (Mali, Benin, Chad, and Guinea-Bissau) witnessed over 50% of children aged 5–14 being put to work.

The main reason for child labor is the financial situation of their families who need the little income the child can bring so that they can feed and clothe themselves. Irrespective of the form of child labor, they all hinder children’s educational progress, depriving them of the time needed for this and thus impeding their development.

Moreover, “child labor can result in extreme bodily and mental harm, and even death. It can lead to slavery and sexual or economic exploitation. And in nearly every case, it cuts children off from schooling and health care, restricting their fundamental rights and threatening their futures,” UNICEF commented.

Progress achieved

As the ILO enforced the Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, the international community praised the progress made in this direction. In particular, the ILO noted that the number of children subjected to child labor decreased from about 250 million in 2000 to about 152 million in 2016. However, the organization warned that since 2012 progress has slowed down, as the proportion of children in child labor decreased by only 1% annually between 2012 and 2016 as compared to 3% in the preceding years.

With the UN’s 8th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) stipulating that child labor should be eradicated by 2025, the ILO has warned that efforts should be strengthened to meet this goal because, at the current rate of progress, by 2025 there will still be 121 million children subjected to child labor.

Trend reversal

Today, the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic have become another pressing issue that threatens to prevent the achievement of SDG 8. In fact, the latest data unveiled by UNICEF shows that progress has already been reversed.

Commenting on this issue, Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, noted: “The number of children who are hungry, isolated, abused, anxious, living in poverty and forced into marriage has increased. At the same time, their access to education, socialization, and essential services including health, nutrition, and protection has decreased. The signs that children will bear the scars of the pandemic for years to come are unmistakable.”

Over 168 million children were forced to move to distance learning in 2020 as their schools closed because of the pandemic but at least one in three children could not access this for technical reasons. The number of children living in poor families was expected to increase by 140 million by late 2020. All of this does nothing but push even more children into labor.

A lost generation?

Although understanding that the pandemic and its repercussions will leave their footprints on children for years ahead, nonetheless the international community has called for actions to mitigate this negative impact.

“Children must be at the heart of recovery efforts,” said Henrietta Fore. “This means prioritizing schools in reopening plans. It means providing social protection including cash transfers for families. And it means reaching the most vulnerable children with critical services. Only then can we protect this generation from becoming a lost generation.”

ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, echoed: ” As the pandemic wreaks havoc on family incomes, without support, many could resort to child labor. Social protection is vital in times of crisis, as it provides assistance to those who are most vulnerable. Integrating child labor concerns across broader policies for education, social protection, justice, labor markets, and international human and labor rights makes a critical difference.”