But in March, India closed its schools because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Rahul had to go to work. UN officials estimate that at least 24 million children will drop out and that millions could be sucked into work. The surge in child labour could erode the progress achieved in recent years in school enrolment, literacy, social mobility and children’s health. Child labour is just one piece of a looming global disaster. Many of the parents interviewed said they were under tremendous pressure to put their idle children to work.

Source: bd News24 September 27, 2020 20:14 UTC