Illustrative image taken from Infomed.

By María Josefina Arce

The world should not allow its children, in many cases, to not have a decent life and be forced to work due to the poverty of their homes. The truth is that over time numerous generations of children have been put at risk.

This problem still affects us, although various conventions on the subject have been adopted internationally, and in 2015 world leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, which included a renewed commitment to ending child labor.

But in recent years the trend of reducing this problem has been reversed and, unfortunately, in 2024 it will continue to be a reality, which deprives this population sector of all its rights and exposes it to abuse and violence.

According to the ILO, International Labor Organization, the region with the highest rate of child labor is Sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Central and South Asia.

The international organization states that in Latin America and the Caribbean, as in much of the planet, this phenomenon increased due to the COVID 19 pandemic, due to the closure of schools to prevent the contagion and spread of the virus and the increase in poverty in the region.

In the United States, the increase in the arrival of unaccompanied migrant children has triggered this sad phenomenon. The Department of Labor has stated that there has been an 88% increase in illegally employed minors in all industries since 2019.

Last year alone, some six thousand infantrymen were detected in this situation of exploitation throughout the United States.

The reality is that millions of minors in the world are subjected to truly dangerous conditions, which threaten their physical and mental integrity and prevent their full development.

They work in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction and domestic service, but they are also victims of recruitment in armed conflicts or for drug trafficking, as well as sexual exploitation.

On the occasion of the International Day against Child Labor, which is celebrated every June 12, the Spanish non-governmental organization Manos Unidas pointed out that this scourge can only be combated with education and social policies that protect minors and lead to the eradication of child labor. 

A world is still far away from guaranteeing a safe and happy childhood for all children. Greater political will and urgent action are required to fulfill its commitment to erase child labor from the face of the earth.