- Economic crisis and health measures to stop the COVID-19 pandemic accentuated child labor in the region.
- Specialists suggest that the States strengthen protection systems to safeguard the rights of working children.
- Working girls, boys and adolescents demand greater investment from the States to implement poverty reduction programs.
A report by the International Labor Organization reveals that as a result of the economic crisis that generated the COVID-19 pandemic, about 66 million girls and boys could fall into extreme poverty, the most affected region being Latin America and the Caribbean. [1]
In this context, with the objective of making visible the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in working children and adolescents, the #TejiendoRedesInfancia initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of the #NiñezFirst strategy, held the webinar: Child labor and adolescents in the pandemic, effects and challenges.
In the session, the speakers pointed out that child labor responds to different causes, such as the increase in poverty, access to quality education, gender inequality, violence in the home, cultural practices that justify work children, the absence of accurate data and the deterioration of living conditions, mainly in the context of the pandemic.
In this regard, Virginia Murillo, representative of the organization Defense of Girls and Boys International-DNI, Costa Rica, explained that several countries in the region lack the public policies and resources necessary to make changes at a structural level, a situation that translates into an increase of child labor. “When we speak of child labor, we speak of a multi-causal phenomenon, that is, structural situations that affect the development of girls, boys and adolescents; For this reason, it is important to address the causes and not only the immediate needs (…) we must review the discourse of the elimination of child labor because we have a reality where this discourse is criminalized, it is necessary to build together ”, he pointed out.
Another aspect that affects the increase in child labor, according to specialists, is the reduction of wages and massive layoffs in times of pandemic; On this, a recent report by the International Labor Organization indicates that by the end of 2020 the number of unemployed in the region will rise to 41 million people. [2]
In this understanding, Marco Dubbelt, Child Labor Specialist at Global March Against Child Labor, suggested that States strengthen protection systems to safeguard the rights of working children, invest more budget to implement poverty reduction programs and generate decent jobs. to ensure the well-being of families. "The private sector is not very sensitive when we talk about child labor, partly because they do not know the opinion of working children and adolescents, who need to share their experiences (...) we talk about building a better world, that means that we must invest in childhood, economic development must contribute to the well-being of all people, especially those who cannot support themselves ”.
Regarding this situation, Norberto Liwski, former Vice President of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, indicated that due to the high rates of poverty and unemployment, thousands of girls and boys were forced to seek income to help their families, a situation which results in the violation of other rights, such as access to health and education. "States must strive to guarantee equal opportunities, social protection must cover all families, in such a way that girls and boys avoid putting their health at risk by trying to increase household income," he stressed.
For this reason, Ricardo Bucio Mújica, Executive Secretary of the National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Girls, Boys and Adolescents, pointed out that national, departmental and local governments must create intersectoral public policies that address other issues such as gender inequality, food, vulnerable populations or access to education. “Fighting child labor requires fighting poverty, school dropouts and family violence; in other words, it requires a broad intervention ”.
Likewise, Andrés, a Paraguayan teenager, representative of the Latin American and Caribbean Movement of Working Children and Adolescents (Molacnats), asked that the authorities listen to the opinions and suggestions of working children before implementing public policies aimed at eradicating the child labor. "To improve and clarify the issue of exploitation and decent work, it is necessary to create a dialogue table with the ILO and the authorities," he emphasized.
Lucy, another adolescent from Paraguay, also added: “Organizations, the police and society must be aware of what happens to girls, boys and adolescents. It is important to understand that with or without a pandemic, poverty has always been a factor in the increase in child labor ”.
Finally, the Coordinator of the #TejiendoRedesInfancia Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean, Juan Martín Pérez García, insisted on the need to establish public policies from a comprehensive perspective, with the participation of authorities, international organizations, girls, boys and working adolescents. “The pandemic has deepened the inequality gap; that is why it is important that the states have public policies aimed at reducing the conditions of poverty and exclusion that lead girls and boys to seek survival, through economic activities that affect their physical and emotional development ”.
In closing, Gladys, an educator from Molacnats, also reflected: "by opening spaces for dialogue we are strengthening the participation of girls and boys and with an attitude of listening we are articulating actions."
Chely, an adolescent representative of the Latin American and Caribbean Movement of Working Children and Adolescents, also participated in the dialogue.
[1] ILO / The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child labor and forced labor.
[2] ILO / Labor panorama in times of COVID-19.
Press contact: Verónica Morales, Regional Communication Officer / [email protected]