Number of child laborers reaches 160M globally: the case of Sri Lankan cities

The number of kids trapped in labor exploitation currently stands at 160M, up by 8.4M in the last four years. The increase took place especially in the 5 to 11 years old age group.

Between 2000 and 2016, the number of child laborers dropped by 94M.

In 2020, Sri Lanka — home to ca 22M people — raised the minimum working age from 14 to 16 years old.

Yet, young Sri Lankans continue to drop out of school because of poverty.

Some 104K children were working in Sri Lanka in 2016.

Around 2006, that figure was ca 500K.

As of 2021, some 39K children are still caught up in various forms of exploitation.

The capital city of Sri Lanka’s North Central Province and one of the country’s ancient capitals, Anuradhapura, sees many Sri Lankan children recruited as sex workers.

Boasting S.Thomas’ College, one of Sri Lanka’s most prestigious primary and secondary schools, Mount Lavinia, a suburb known as Colombo’s beach retreat, sees many Sri Lankan kids exploited as domestic workers and store laborers.

A quick look at Cali and Bogotá: aquifer management, citizen empowerment and educating underprivileged children

400 children and women are said to be trafficked in Bangladesh every month

Initiative by Lagos educator seeks volunteers to teach Hausa children, their mothers in Obalende, Falomo

Of 9,374 Catholic-managed orphanages, 3,233 are in Asia. But only 27 of 531 US Catholic orders deemed as adequately funded for retirement

Having visited cities from South Africa to South Sudan, this forensic investigator wants to equip orphans with IT skills, teach women business skills

Here is what $1.5T has to do with the largest US sponsor of donor-advised funds that works w 250,000+ donors, having distributed $61B to 357,000 charities since 1991

Manufacturing labor costs $60 x hour in Switzerland, while some robot arms pay for themselves in < 200 days

Pensions of Tajikistan’s scholars at ca $19 (200 somoni) while hundreds of millions of dollars go to Dushanbe parks and palaces

Population growth vs rising living standards: which one is to impact climate change more by the year 2099?

What should each one of us 8-10 billion humans do between now and 2100 to ensure our overall progress?

2022: 183 million Indians called to vote for the renewal of the legislative assemblies in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Punjab and Goa

Many children end up working on tea plantations in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province. Galle, the provincial capital and largest city, as well as Matara, the second largest city in Southern Province, are mentioned as places of such exploitation.