Africa's Children Most Vulnerable to Child Labour
As World Day Against Child Labour is observed on June 12, 2021, attention has been drawn to the devastating impact that Covid-19 has had on children forced into labour around the world, but particularly in Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. The International Labour Organization reports that 70% of children work in agriculture, family farms, 20% in services, that include domestic work, and 10% are in industry.
Hazardous work is considered as among the worst forms of child labour as it is dangerous, harmful to a child's physical and mental health and can result in death. While child labour is continuing to decrease in Asia and the Pacific, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, it has risen substantially in Africa with 20 million more children than four years ago. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 16.6 million children are working, writes Lisa Schlein for VOA.
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Angola:
President Points Out Ways to Better Protect Children
ANGOP, 1 June 2021
The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, Tuesday said that Angola has made great advances in the strategy for child protection, but much remains to be done,… Read more »
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Uganda:
Children Resort to Hard Labour to Survive, Says Covid Report
Monitor, 28 May 2021
It is a sunny mid-morning in Njeru Township in Buikwe District and 13-year old Latifa Nalujja, looks hungry and bored. Read more »
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Congo-Kinshasa:
Covid-19 Pushes Congo's Children Out of School and Into Domestic Work
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 26 May 2021
School closures and the economic fallout from the pandemic have left many minors with no choice but to work to survive Read more »
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Central African Republic:
Pandemic Pushes More Child Vendors On To Streets
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 19 May 2021
The country has recorded only 7,000 cases and 100 deaths, but the ensuing economic fallout has driven kids to the streets Read more »
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Africa:
Continent's Children Need to Get Back to School to Avoid 'Lost Generation'
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 22 April 2021
With school closures, income losses and deepening poverty, children across Africa have been forced into work - in gold mines, cocoa farms and hawking on the streets Read more »
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Nigeria:
Govt, ILO to Conduct Survey On Child Labour, Forced Labour, Modern Slavery
This Day, 15 April 2021
The federal government has said that it will conduct a National Multiurvey on Child Labour, Forced Labour, Modern Slaveryple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) on child labour, forced… Read more »
InFocus
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With Ghana having a high volume of cocoa beans to trade with the world, the higher price for the commodity could see poor farmers able to employ labourers to assist them. Read more »
Child labour on the increase in Africa (file photo).