Sub-Saharan Africa records highest child labour rate – ILO

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) says Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest incidence of child labour, despite a decline in the incidence from 25.3 per cent in 2008 to 21.4 per cent in 2012.

It said although the decline in figures offered some cause for optimism Sub-Saharan Africa is still the region where children face by far the highest risk of child labour.

The sub-region is also the place where progress has been slowest and least consistent, meaning the risk of child labour is highest for children in the region.

One child in every five is in child labour.

The Global Child Labour report for 2000-2012 said child labourers in other regions in 2012 numbered: 59.0 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, 12.5 million in Latin America and the Caribbean and 9.2 million in the Middle East and North Africa.

It said the largest number of child labourers was found in the Asia-Pacific region but this region also registered the largest decline during 2008-2012 from 114 million to 78 million for the 5-17 years age group.

It said in Latin America, numbers remain relatively low but persistent, especially in hazardous work.

ILO called for a special focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: GNA