12.05.2022 – 11:34
terre des hommes Deutschland e. V.
Osnabrück/Geneva (ots)
For millions of children, COVID-19 has meant hunger, poverty and the end of educational opportunities. The global impact of the pandemic on children and their families can be felt in many areas of life. This is confirmed by the Child Labor Report 2022, which the international children’s charity terre des hommes published on the occasion of the World Conference of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in South Africa, which begins on Sunday. The report examines how the living conditions of children have changed as a result of COVID-19 and what measures are necessary for a just reconstruction of society from the perspective of those affected.
Case studies in India and Peru collected by terre des hommes show that many children worked as a result of the pandemic to ensure the survival of their families. This confirms the global trend of increasing child labor due to the pandemic for the first time in 20 years. Fears and worries about the future predominate among Peruvian children who went to school before the pandemic and worked as street vendors on the side: their parents have lost their jobs and have no prospects whatsoever, the children have had no prospects in the past two years due to inadequate technical equipment missed a lot of learning material for years and lost touch with the lessons, so that the only thing left for them to do is work on the street. In India, girls and boys report that they have to compensate for their parents’ loss of income by digging for the mica mineral mica in mines under the most dangerous working conditions. Mica is found in many products, among other things it is used in the cosmetics and electronics industries because of its mother-of-pearl shimmer and good conductivity. To do this, they often have to descend unsecured shafts up to 20 meters deep and risk their lives when mining. In both countries, children have been complaining about the inadequate food supply since Covid19, and in India the risk of early marriage is also increasing for girls because the families cannot ensure their sustenance.
In workshops, the affected children and adults, together with teachers and government representatives, have now developed recommendations for a sustainable and fair restoration of good living conditions after the pandemic. They demand flexible educational offers and digital equipment so that they can still study at home early in the morning, in the afternoon or in the evening after work. For example, Peruvian school staff and government officials envisioned an education system that would provide the necessary technical resources to ensure children’s access to learning even in future times of crisis. In addition, they want an education system that takes into account the social skills required for children’s development. In India, children and adults wished that the government would provide girls and boys from disadvantaged households with scholarships, school uniforms, stationery and bicycles, and that students attending schools outside their village be given free transportation. For higher education, a teacher in India also suggested interest-free loans and improving virtual access to education, especially in remote areas. In addition, the children and their families demand decent working conditions for adults. Fair wages are necessary to ensure the family’s basic needs, including the education of children.
“The report shows how much children are suffering from the consequences of the pandemic,” said Beat Wehrle, spokesman for the board of terre des hommes. “The well-being of children is massively threatened by the consequences of the pandemic. We are seeing an alarming increase in exploitative child labor in our project regions. At the world conference beginning on Sunday, the international community must adopt measures that enable the poorest to deal with the consequences of COVID- 19 to live and to gain a foothold again economically and socially. Above all, this includes protection against violence and access to education, which enables the children to get an education and not be exploited as day laborers.”
For queries:
Antje Ruhmann, terre des hommes child rights expert, phone: 05 41 / 7101 171, mobile: 01 60 / 94 18 32 81, e-mail: [email protected]
Additional Information: www.tdh.de/kinderarbeitsreport2022
Original content by: terre des hommes Deutschland e. V., transmitted by news aktuell
–
