Asian countries supplying the West with goods make slowest progress in ending child labour
- China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia have stalled in tackling child labour despite economic growth
- Agriculture, manufacturing, apparel, construction, mining and hospitality all pose high levels of risk in both India and China
Progress towards ending child labour has stalled in the countries most likely to be supplying goods to the west, a study has found.
Despite high economic growth and big improvements in education and development, countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia have made little progress in tackling child labour.
“The economic momentum of many countries is yet to trickle down to the poorest in society and any meaningful headway on labour rights issues, including child labour, remains elusive,” said Oscar Larsson, a human rights data analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, the risk analytics company that produced the analysis.
Child labour victims number an estimated 152 million, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 73 million of whom work in hazardous conditions.
Researchers ranked 198 countries based on their laws and adoption of international treaties, the ability and will to enforce them, and the frequency and severity of violations.
The five highest-risk countries were North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, and Central African Republic.
The researchers also highlighted a rapidly escalating risk of child labour in Venezuela as a result of the country’s economic and political crisis. Venezuela has fallen 80 places in the index since 2016, and now ranks seventh highest in the rankings.