Effects of climate change and environmental degradation on child labour

Climate change is pushing children in the Global South into ever more dangerous forms of child labour and exploitation, a new report by Terre des Hommes has warned.

The report reveals how climate change and environmental degradation in Nepal, India, Burkina Faso, Peru and Nicaragua is forcing children to swap either safer work or not working at all for extremely hazardous employment conditions, such as in mineral mines or brick kilns.

Children working in these environments risk developing respiratory problems due to inhalation of dust and toxic gases, which also damage their digestive, immune and central nervous systems. Being killed in explosions or collapsing mine shafts is also a risk, as is illness and injury caused by carrying heavy loads for prolonged periods.

Terre des Hommes Secretary General Ignacio Packer said: “Climate change is fuelling this surge in child exploitation – forcing kids to swap the safety of the classroom for the toxic gas of the goldmine. The international community must join the dots between climate change and exploitative child labour, and merge efforts to combat both these social scourges.”

http://reliefweb.int/report/world/neglected-link-effects-climate-change-and-environmental-degradation-child-labour

BBC World Service

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