No end to child labor despite global pledges
GENEVA – Nearly 160 million children are engaged in child labor worldwide.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, 63 million girls, and 97 million boys work to support their families.
On the eve of World Day Against Child Labor on Monday, it was highlighted that sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of child labor at 26%.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, as many as 7% of children work in hazardous jobs.
Africa tops the list with 1 in 5 children (92 million) working as child laborers. Asia and the Pacific ranks second with 5.6% of children (49 million) engaged in child labor in this region.
There are also 8.3 million child laborers in the Americas, 8.3 million in Europe and Central Asia, and 2.4 million in Arab countries.
The number of children working in hazardous occupations has also risen to 79 million.
On a positive note, the number of children engaged in child labor has declined by a net 94 million in the 16 years since 2000.
Most child labor is in the agricultural sector, where 70% of all children work.
In addition, data show that the proportion of boys among working children is higher than that of girls in all regions and age groups.
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