started working because we were so badly off. The testimony of 13-year-old Florence is no exception in the poorest countries of the world. Indeed, the Covid-19 health crisis has had significant effects on the quality of life of these children. According to a report released by the Social and Economic Rights Initiative in Uganda, and Friends of the Nation in Ghana, more and more minors are doing hazardous, precarious work, working long hours and with low wages. . This study was conducted among 81 children aged 8 to 17, in Ghana, Nepal and Uganda, says The Guardian Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
School closures during lockdowns in some countries have led to loss of income for many households and domestic violence. “The main driver is the economic situation that so many families are facing because they have lost their jobs, they have lost income. The lockdowns in many countries have really dealt a blow, ”deplores Jo Becker, director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), quoted by our colleagues. And to give some details of what the young people interviewed told them: “Some of the children we spoke to said that their parents had taken out loans, got into debt, and therefore felt pressure to work in order to help their families meet their needs. ”
Jo Becker urges governments to pay child benefits
In each of these countries, more than a third of respondents worked at least ten hours a day. In Ghana, several children work in gold mines, forced to carry heavy loads, breathe machine dust and handle mercury. Yet in Ghana it is illegal to make children work in gold mines. “Most of the countries we looked at have good child labor laws that are in line with international standards, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, labor inspections are declining and unenforced and unattended, employers will feel less pressure to enforce the law, ”reveals Jo Becker.
According to the International Labor Organization, the number of working children in the world fell by around 38% between 2000 and 2016. A trend which was nevertheless reversed with the pandemic. In this context, Jo Becker called on governments to pay family allowances for “ [soulager] the financial pressure on families, so that they can buy food, pay for their accommodation without resorting to child labor ”.
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