COVID-19 and Child Labour: A time of crisis, a time to act

This report was jointly published by International Labour Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, on June 12, 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to children worldwide, the report states, as they are likely to be pushed into exploitative and hazardous jobs due to increased economic insecurity and losses in household income. Child labour reinforces intergenerational poverty and denies the rights stipulated by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which United Nations adopted in November 1989. This report discusses the pandemic’s effect on child labour and includes measures to tackle the issue. The 38-page report is divided into 11 chapters: Introduction (chapter 1); Falling living standards (chapter 2); Deteriorating employment (chapter 3); Rising informality (chapter 4); Declining remittances and migration (chapter 5); A looming credit crisis (chapter 6); Contracting trade and foreign direct investment (chapter 7); Shutting down schools (chapter 8); Compounding shocks to health (chapter 9); Pressure on public budgets and international aid flows (chapter 10) and Making the right choices – at the right time (chapter 11).