All over the world, many children work on a day-to-day basis for paid or unpaid work that does not harm them. However, child labor refers to the fact that children are too young to work or engage in dangerous activities that may threaten their physical and mental health and affect their social development and education. In the least developed countries, more than a quarter of children perform work that is detrimental to their health and personal development.
Child labor is widespread
Currently, some 160 million children worldwide are involved in child labor. Africa ranks first in the world in terms of the incidence and number of child labor, with one in five children in child labor, an absolute number of 72 million. Asia and the Pacific ranks second, with a child labor rate of 7% and an absolute number of 62 million people.
While low-income countries have the highest rates of child labor, middle-income countries actually have more child labor. In lower-middle-income countries, 9% of children are involved in child labor; in upper-middle-income countries, the rate is 7%. Data on the absolute number of child laborers in various income groups show that 84 million child laborers live in middle-income countries, accounting for 56% of the total. In addition, 2 million child laborers live in high-income countries.
The ILO is calling for addressing root causes such as family poverty so that every child around the world is free from child labor.
Social Security is Crucial
While significant progress has been made in reducing child labor over the past 20 years, progress has slowed over time and even stalled in 2016-2020.
The theme of World Day Against Child Labour 2022 is “Universal Social Security and Elimination of Child Labour”. Governments’ social protection systems are essential to escape poverty and vulnerability and to eradicate and prevent child labour.
Labour groups say social security is both a human right and a powerful policy tool to prevent families from using child labour in times of crisis. However, before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020, only 46.9% of the global population had at least one effective social security benefit, while the remaining 53.1%, or as many as 4.1 billion people, had no protection at all. Social security coverage for children is even lower. Nearly three-quarters of the world’s children, or 1.5 billion people, lack social protection.
Meanwhile, at the global level, countries spend only 1.1% of GDP on social protection for children. In Africa, where children account for the largest proportion of the population, the highest incidence of child labor, and the greatest social security needs, social security spending on children is only 0.4 percent of GDP.
It is estimated that if mitigation strategies are not implemented, 8.9 million more child labourers might be added by the end of 2022 due to heightened poverty and increased vulnerability.
In his speech on World Day Against Child Labour, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder warned that the choices governments make now will determine the lives of millions of children. He stressed that social protection is one of the most powerful measures to prevent child labour and that income security must be provided to families in difficult times.
Significant progress in eliminating child labor will require comprehensive, integrated solutions and increased investment in universal social protection systems.