Around 4 billion people globally do not have social protection. Work layoffs and societal restrictions on businesses due to the pandemic have made many families vulnerable to slavery and child labour.
Children will be pushed into child labour to make ends meet and those already engaged in it may work longer hours in worse working conditions. Businesses employ children as they are cheap labourers and are easy to exploit, thus increasing their profit margins. Societal isolation makes children more vulnerable to grooming and abuse.
Mass unemployment, high debt and little government support creates opportunities for traffickers. Economic crisis leads to food shortages and loss of income, heavily impacting the poor. Many are pushed into slave labour for survival.
Migrant workers returning home are at great risk of infection when travelling on crowded public transport where physical distancing is practically impossible. They often live in overcrowded conditions without proper sanitation, increasing the risk of spread of the virus.
Lockdown has disrupted labour inspectors, anti-slavery organizations, and social workers, making detection and intervention of child labour and slavery extremely challenging.
Written by Anushree Appandairajan
Artwork by Zara Masood
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