Project report
Impact of COVID-19 on Child Labour in South Asia
Iffat Idris ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting child labour in South Asia, a region already with high rates of child labour affecting 16.7 million children aged 5-17. The pandemic is causing economic harm that is likely to increase child labour through multiple pathways including loss of livelihoods, increased employer exploitation, discrimination against vulnerable groups, disruption of anti-slavery work, and school closures. The report identifies specific risks for India and Bangladesh but notes that the full impact is still emerging.
Key points
- South Asia has an estimated 16.7 million children aged 5-17 engaged in child labour before the pandemic
- COVID-19 economic impacts are predicted to increase child labour based on patterns from previous epidemics and financial crises
- Key pathways to increased child labour include: loss of livelihoods, stronger employer incentives for exploitation, greater discrimination against minorities and migrants, disruption of anti-slavery organisations, school closures, and heightened financial pressures on families
- School closures and financial pressures on families could also fuel child marriage alongside child labour
Limitations
This is a helpdesk report examining potential impacts rather than measuring actual outcomes; the document acknowledges that the full scale of COVID-19's crisis is still emerging and does not provide empirical data on the extent of increase in child labour that has actually occurred. The specific impacts on India and Bangladesh are mentioned but not detailed in the excerpt provided.
Abstract
This helpdesk report examines the impacts of Covid-19 on child labour in South Asia. South Asia already has among the highest prevalence of child labour in the world, with an estimated 16.7 million (5-17 year-old) children engaged in child labour in South Asia. While the full scale of the COVID-19 crisis in South Asia is still emerging, it is clear that the pandemic is having a significant negative impact on the region’s economies. The experience of previous epidemics/financial crises suggests that the Coronavirus pandemic will lead to a rise in child labour. The (potential) pathways in which the current COVID-19 pandemic could lead to increased enslavement and child labour in the developing world, including in South Asia are: loss of livelihoods and economic opportunities; employers have stronger incentives and perhaps greater latitude for exploitation; greater discrimination against minorities and migrants could facilitate exploitation; anti-slavery organisations and activities have been disrupted and school closures and heightened financial pressures on families could fuel child labour as well as child marriage. However, some literature also highlights certain specific likely impacts of the crisis on child labour in India and Bangladesh.