İHD: Child Labor in Agriculture Continuing Despite Pandemic

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Child labor in agriculture continues during the coronavirus pandemic despite a curfew for those younger than 18, according to a report by the Human Rights Association (İHD).

"The curfews and health precautions as part of the fight against the epidemic have not been implemented in terms of seasonal agricultural workers and health workers and with a circular published on April 4, 2020, travel permits were issued, including for those employees under the age of 18," the association's committee for children's rights said in a statement.

The government imposed a curfew for those younger than 20 years of age in March but later exempted those between 18 and 20 and employed.

"Studies show that all members of families, including children, join seasonal agricultural labor and children are even preferred more for some jobs," the statement also said.

The association also criticized the Turkish Statistical Institute's (TurkStat) last survey on child labor, claiming that it was aimed at hiding agricultural child labor.

The survey was conducted between October and December 2019 and was published in March. According to the survey, the number of children engaged in economic activities in the 5-17 age group in Turkey was 720,000. The TurkStat had released its previous report on child labor in 2012.

This is a period when seasonal agricultural labor is at its lowest level and the school year starts, therefore, data collected in this period do not reflect the real numbers on agricultural child labor, the İHD noted. (AÖ/VK)