The report will be presented on the World Day against Child Labor, on June 12, and contains the latest figures about working children worldwide and by regions, and those at additional risk as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In August 2020, All 187 member States of ILO ratified the Convention on the worst forms of child labor, which allows all children to have legal protection against this scourge, which affects 152 million children, according to estimates.
ILO and UNICEF say that 70 percent of child labor is currently employed mainly in agriculture and obeys mainly to poverty and parents’ difficulties to find a decent job.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted unanimously the resolution to declare 2021 the World Year for the Elimination of Child Labor, which allowed reducing the incidence by almost 40 percent from 2000 to 2016, stemming from the increase and adaptation of efficient laws and policies in the countries.
However, the achievements have been less pronounced in the last few years, and there is a real risk of rolling back as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, with an increase for the first time in 20 years, unless adequate measures are taken.
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