Child labor increasing amid COVID-19 pandemic

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The number of children working globally, including in extremely hazardous roles, has been dropping steadily over the last two decades. Between 2000 and 2016, there was a net reduction of 94 million children in the labor force. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to rollback progress in this area.

When families experience severe financial shocks, more children enter the workforce to try to meet their basic needs. Further, emergency lock-down measures taken in response to the global pandemic may have jeopardized systems put in place to protect at-risk children. What does this mean for Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, which seeks to end all forms of child labor by 2025? Join GlobalWA members ChildFund International, Human Rights Watch, and Amplio as they discuss the current state of child labor and what their organizations are doing to keep this target on track.