The International Labour Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund have released a new brief, Covid-19 and child labour: A time of crisis, a time to act, outlining the risk of a rise in child labour due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A rise in poverty caused by the economic impact of the pandemic could result in equivalent rises in child labour as farming families struggle to cope, according to the study. The temporary closure of schools could also play a role.
In addition to outlining the risks faced by children globally, the ILO-UNICEF brief proposes measures that could support farming families and reduce the negative impact upon children’s education. These include comprehensive social protection, access to credit for households, measures to ensure children can return to school, among more.
Read Covid-19 and child labour: A time of crisis, a time to act or read the ILO-UNICEF summary