A local government report has drawn attention to high levels of child labor in central Colombia.
According to figures from the Government of Antioquia, about 17,000 children are listed as employees in the department. More than 200 “can be found in the worst forms of child labor.”
These figures were revealed by the most recent measurement performed by the Siriti (System of Registration and Information on Child Labor) which said that of 17,677 children and adolescents in Antioquia, 12,618 are at risk of falling into the worst forms of child labor and 361 working in domestic work.
Juan Carlos Buitrago, manager of Children, Adolescents and Youth in Antioch, said that in 2013 the Government invested more than $7.5 million to prevent child labor, reported El Espectador.
The measurement index used by Siriti divides the worst form of child labor into two categories. The first involves illegal work such as sexual and commercial exploitation and involvement in the armed conflict. The second involves hazardous work such as manual and domestic work.
Child labor has long been a problem in Colombia with more than one million children subjected to child labor in 2013.
MORE: More than 1 million children in Colombia subjected to child labor
A government strategy called “Prevention is Better” has managed to help nearly 108,000 children and adolescents in Antioquia since 2013.
Sources
- Más de 17.000 menores trabajan en Antioquia (El Espectador)
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