A considerable reduction in child labor is expected to occur in Brazil by 2015, but not its complete eradication, according to an analysis by the Brazilian National Coordinator of the International Program for the Eradication of Child Labor (IPEC), of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Pedro Américo Furtado de Oliveira.
Oliveira says that a study released at the of November, by the ILO, estimates that the situation of working children would get better by 2022.
The study evaluates that the government income transferring programs have been fundamental, but that they do not represent a complete solution in themselves, and that other elements must be added in order to really solve the problem.
Oliveira said that child labor has a strong impact on education, either by stopping children from attending school, or by affecting the performance of those who do go to school. "They usually end up quitting school, which will directly affect their salaries in the future".
ILO’s study, according to the coordinator, "attempts to demonstrate that if child labor were to be prohibited today, the country’s average income would drop 1%, although this loss would be compensated in five years."
The Ministry of Social Development and Hunger Alleviation issued a note commenting on the research. The note says that the research is based on data from 1992-2003, and that this period does not consider the changes undertaken by the Program for the Eradication of Child Labor (PETI).
The Ministry also emphasizes that the study did not evaluate the impact of the Family Grant program (Bolsa Família), created September 2003, which established school attendance as one of the preconditions for receiving the money.
The ILO study, says the note, indicates that child labor is less frequent among children that go to school.
Agência Brasil
