SEATTLE, Washington — Every year, millions of school-age children are forced to work to help support their families. Given the global economic effects of COVID-19, it’s probable that many more children will end up on the same path. In order to stay afloat. Some families are taking their children out of school and sending them into the workforce. Other children, unable to attend school because of the pandemic, are working for the first time. Child labor and COVID-19 is a bad combination. Child labor is already detrimental to a child’s health, and now the pandemic creates a far bigger threat. The world has made significant strides toward reducing child labor in the past years, but COVID-19 is effectively rolling back that progress.
Link Between Child Labor and Poverty
Child labor has been a detrimental global problem for years. In 2017, the International Labor Organization reported that an estimated 152 million children between the ages of five to 17 were involved in child labor. One of the main reasons that these rates are so high is because of poverty. Data suggests that most children who are forced into child labor come from impoverished families with few other options.
The International Journal of Health Sciences published a study in 2008 detailing the causes of child labor in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan. The study concluded that 82% of children work because their families cannot make ends meet in any other way. Few children would choose to work on their own volition. The study concluded that 13% of children are forced to work while only 5% do it for their own interest. The International Labor Organization reports that poverty is the greatest force behind child labor.
Child Labor and COVID-19
Coronavirus increased poverty and set the stage for a worldwide recession. Data from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization suggests that COVID-19 has had drastic negative economic effects globally. For example, industrial production fell 18% in high-income countries, 24% in upper-middle-income countries and 22% in lower-middle-income countries. South Africa and Mexico are among the countries that suffered the highest reductions in trade volume since the pandemic, and these countries are both already among the top ten countries with the highest poverty rates. Although large institutions and corporations may weather the storm, individuals and families will likely bear the brunt of this economic downturn. The World Bank estimated that the pandemic has the potential to send approximately 49 million people into extreme poverty before the end of 2020.
Because of the link between poverty and child labor, there is also a link between child labor and COVID-19. The economic fallout from COVID-19 has the potential to cause a significant spike in child labor. In addition, most children are already out of school because of the pandemic. Children’s presence at home could work in tandem with higher poverty rates to result in more child labor. Because children are already at home, families wouldn’t have to pull them out of school to put them into the labor force. Additionally, desperate families may continue to send their children to work, even after schools reopen. The loss of a parent or other adult family member to COVID-19 might also cause problems. A child who begins working during the pandemic might not be able to return to school when safety restrictions are lifted after the loss of a parent.
Solutions to Child Labor
Child labor and poverty are deeply tied, so the best way to keep it from increasing is with financial aid. During the pandemic, providing poor countries with the necessary aid to stimulate their economies could prove invaluable. The International Monetary Fund is working to meet emergency financing requests from 102 countries, which will potentially help to stimulate their economies. It also approved emergency debt service relief to 29 countries in response to the pandemic.
GiveDirectly is an NGO also helping to get money to families in need during the pandemic. It digitally transfers cash from donors to needy families in impoverished counties. In March, they completed a total of 13,806 payments to families in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Liberia, Malawi and the DRC. All that added up to a total of $2.5 million of aid to help fight child labor and COVID-19.
Most parents hope that their children will live a better life than they themselves had. Few would choose to involve their children in child labor. Doing so is a desperate measure and a last resort. COVID-19 has created desperate times for families all over the world, resulting in problems with child labor and COVID-19. Appropriate aid targeted to those most likely to suffer the economic hardships created by the pandemic must now step in to stand between families and that last resort.
– Sophia Gardner
Photo: Flickr