International Labour Organization: Rise in child labor worldwide to 160 million

The International Labor Organization (ILO) said in a statement that the number of working children worldwide reaches 160 million, or one in 10 children in the world, and called on the international community to take action to reduce the phenomenon of child labor.

This has a serious impact on their physical and mental health, especially as 80 million of them work in difficult conditions.

“In the face of this growing dilemma, ILO has called on the international community to increase social justice and intensify the fight against child labor, while warning that millions more are at risk of labor exploitation in the coming years.”

Africa ranked first in the world with 72 million child labor, followed by Asia and the Pacific with 62 million children.

The UN defines child labor as work that “deprives children of their childhood and potential, undermines their dignity, harms their physical and psychological development, and poses a psychological, physical or social hazard, morally injures children or adversely affects their schooling.”