A new report from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and UNICEF calls for closing the gap in social protection coverage as 1.5 billion children are still not supported by child or family cash benefits.
The report states that despite the considerable progress made in the fight against child labor in the last two decades, The most recent data reveals that, globally, the fight against child labor has stagnated since 2016.
In addition,It is estimated that, if mitigation strategies are not carried out, the number of children in child labor could increase by 8.9 million by the end of 2022, due to increased poverty and vulnerability.
"The Role of Social Protection in Eliminating Child Labour: An Examination of Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications",presents a series of studies carried out since 2010 that show how social protection, by helping families cope with economic or health crises, reduces child labor and facilitates schooling. Nevertheless, little progress has been made in ensuring that all children enjoy social protection, says the study. "Worldwide, 73.6%, or some 1.5 billion children between 0 and 14 years of age, do not receive any family or child cash benefits. This huge protection gap needs to be closed and closed quickly"explains the report.
"There are many reasons to invest in universal social protection, but eliminating child labor has to be one of the most compelling, given its pernicious impact on children’s rights and well-being."said Guy Ryder, ILO Director General. Governments can deploy a series of measures to promote social protection. If policymakers do not act decisively, the COVID-19 pandemic, current conflicts, rising poverty and climate change will only increase the prevalence of child labour, says the study. More than 160 million children worldwide, one in 10 children between the ages of 5 and 17, are still working, and progress has stalled since 2016. These trends were present even before the COVID-19 crisis.
To strengthen social protection systems to prevent and eliminate child labour, the report makes a number of recommendations:
- Closing the social protection coverage gap for children. This means prioritizing child benefits, as well as extending social protection to the two billion workers in the informal economy, thereby supporting their transition from the informal to the formal economy.
- Build integrated social protection systems.Reducing child labor will be easier if countries have a social protection system that offers adequate benefits throughout the life cycle, from child and family benefits, maternity and unemployment benefits to retirement pensions, as well as health protection.
- Ensure that the design of social protection programs is inclusive and takes child labor into account. This will help maximize the reduction of child labor and requires:
- Implement child and family benefits that reach all households with children, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability.
- Make it easier for carers to receive their social protection benefits by simplifying registration procedures and offering different benefit payment mechanisms
- Complement social protection programs with increased investment in quality universal basic education and other vital social services for children.
- Leverage the strong political commitment that already exists to end child labor and establish universal social protection to strengthen consensus for action. The Sustainable Development Agenda and the strong consensus agreed by the International Labor Conference in 2021, as well as the outcome of the Durban child labor conference, can help coordinate international initiatives.
- Promote investment in social protection systems as a driver of development. Almost all countries have the potential to mobilize domestic resources to progressively invest in strengthening their child social protection systems.