COVID-19 and Child Labour: A time of crisis, a time to act

The last two decades have seen significant progress in the fight against child labour. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, poses very real risks of backtracking. Positive trends may falter, and child labour may increase and worsen, especially in places where change has been slow. Therefore, urgent action is required to prevent and mitigate the tolls the pandemic takes on children and their families. 

This paper presents and discusses the main ways in which the current pandemic can influence child labour across the world. It also presents recommendations for authorities and other relevant actors on they way forward.