CAPMAS: 152 million children pushed to labor market due to COVID-19

CAIRO – 19 November 2020: The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) issued a press release marking the World Children’s Day, which annually falls on 20th of November.

Amongst the most important statistical indicators for children worldwide is that the “Coronavirus pandemic has caused an economic shock and imbalances in the labor market,” according to CAPMAS. Millions of children were pushed to the labor market due to this crisis, as there are about 152 million children in the labor market in the age group (5-17 years), of whom 73 million are children are engaged in dangerous work.

The report added that there are 48 percent of those who work in hazardous work in the age group (5-11 years), while 28 percent in the age group (12-14 years), while 24 percent are in the age group (15-17 years).

The report continued that about 71 percent of child labor work in the agricultural field (hunting, working in forests, grazing livestock and aquaculture), 17 percent in the service sector, and 12 percent in the industrial sector, including mining.