Why COVID-19 is Pushing Children to Work

Alyssa Cruz- Social Media/ Website Editor

Since the Coronavirus broke out, many things in society have undergone some changes. Masks are required almost everywhere, students have not been permitted to return to school, and the economy has taken a serious hit. However, one thing the United States has not seen as an effect of the pandemic is a rise in child labor. The same cannot be said for other countries such as India, Afghanistan, Brazil, Kenya, South Sudan, Indonesia, and many other nations who rely on unskilled labor.

The reason why COVID-19 has subjected more children to labor is because of school closures. Children are an easy source of cheap labor, and without school, their efforts are needed now more than ever. For example, school is closed indefinitely in India until an unknown date, so 11 year old Rahul must rummage through garbage dumps to find pieces of recyclable plastics. Although he loathes his job, he cannot quit because his parents are in desperate need of money. The same goes for 14 year old Indonesian teenager, Surlina. Her and her brother sit on a gas station curb painted silver and begging for money. Her mother is a maid and all of their profits go directly to her in order to feed their small family.

These troubling stories are the harsh realities for many children abroad. Not only are they missing out on the opportunity for an education, they are subjected to back breaking work for a minute profit. A problem many child laborers face is once they join the workforce, there is no way out. Although they are working very hard, they still possess no special skills that would help them find a better job in the future. The lack of education does not help, so many people have no other choice but to work for little pay for the rest of their lives. Studies have shown that a 1% rise in poverty means a 0.7% rise in child labor, illustrating that the two typically go hand in hand. This pandemic has not only seen a rise in child labor, but a rise in other social wellfare issues such as forced child mariage, teen pregnancy, and sex work. 

There has been a global call to action to protect the rights of these children and their families. However, some countries have deemed child labor a “necesary evil,” because without these children working, the unskilled labor industry will crumble. In addition, if child labor is abolished, those families will be in an even worse situation than they already are; one of their sources of income will be taken away and they will sink into poverty even more.