The scientific knowledge on child labor in Latin America

Abstract

This article is published in Open Access under the Creative Commons Attribution license, which allows use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, without restrictions, as long as the original work is correctly cited. Child labor is a social and human tragedy. More than an inequity, it is a matter of injustice. Working during childhood deprives a vulnerable group, dependent on protection to survive, from fundamental human and social rights. The cruelty underlying child labor goes far beyond children's present. It affects their entire life course, compromises their own future and upcoming generations through a vicious persistent circle. Child labor also affects physical, psychological and social development, a result of limited access to school, family interactions, contact with other children, and even the right to be protected, to play, to dream and, above all, to be happy. Child labor is a symptom of much deeper underlying societal problems including poverty, marginalization, lack of decent employment opportunities for poor parents, and is often a consequence of family dysfunction, domestic violence and exposure to other forms of social violence. Impeded to be fully educated and facing long-lasting health problems 1 , working children will face difficulties during adolescence and adult life including greater likelihood of maladaptive coping strategies, increase in the burden of chronic disease, serious mental health and addiction challenges and even premature mortality 2. Globally, young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults 3. Youth who missed the opportunity of formal education and training because of child labor are at increased risk of unemployment, exploitation and marginalization. In addition, commonly, children's occupations are unsafe not only regarding work conditions. The unacceptable worst forms of child work, such as slavery or forced labor, sexual exploitation, drug trafficking and dealing, are all linked to illegal activities and often involve high levels of violence. Other hazardous occupations for children are agriculture, the logging industry, mining and construction, among others still prevailing in many countries for boys, while girls are frequently engaged in domestic work, as informal workers without protections, social support benefits, or career progression opportunities 4. The persistence of child labor in low-and middle-income countries regardless of times of prosperity or economic crisis 4 continue to intrigue researchers and public policy decision-makers, which emphasizes the need for more research and understanding of this complex social challenge. While conditional cash transfer programs as an additional strategy to reduce child labor may create the appearance that child work rates are decreasing, alone, it often does little

Occupational Safety and Health Staging Framework for Decent Work

“…A higher risk of suicide among agricultural workers may be related to job instability and informality, added to the exposure to pesticides that affects the central and endocrine systems [ 146 , 147 ]. Child labor remains a public health concern, being associated with adverse health outcomes and increasing the risk of unemployment, exploitation, and marginalization [ 148 , 149 ]. Worker exposure to toxic metals could also be associated with biological hazards, including major susceptibility to severe respiratory diseases, such as influenza, pneumonia, and COVID-19 [ 150 ].…”