ILO News — 18 May 2022
GENEVA (ILO) — Social protection reduces family poverty and vulnerability, thereby diminishing key drivers of child labour, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF. More than 160 million children worldwide — 1 in 10 children aged 5–17 — are still engaged in child labour, and progress has stalled since 2016. It is estimated that without mitigation strategies, the number of children in child labour could rise by 8.9 million by the end of 2022 due to higher poverty and increased vulnerability. Worldwide, 73.6%, or some 1.5 billion children aged 0–14, receive no family or child cash benefits.
“There are many reasons to invest in universal social protection but eliminating child labour has to be one of the most compelling, given its pernicious impact on children’s rights and wellbeing,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. The report makes several recommendations: close the social protection coverage gap for children by prioritising child benefits and extending social protection to the two billion workers in the informal economy; build integrated social protection systems providing adequate benefits throughout the life cycle; ensure that the design of social protection programmes is inclusive and child-labour sensitive; and promote investment in social protection systems as a driver of development. If policymakers do not act decisively, the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing conflict, rising poverty and climate change will only increase the prevalence of child labour, the study warns.