Child labor affects over 300 thousand children in DR: UNICEF

Santo Domingo.- Rosa Elcarte, representative of the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), said that statistics on child labor in the Dominican Republic show that the situation has not improved in recent years.

On the occasion of the International Day Against Child Labor, June 12th, Elcarte pointed out that according to the 2010 EnHogar (in house) survey, 12.2% of the population aged 5 to 17 (over 300,000) is subjected to work.

In 2014 the percentage was 12.8%, which means that one in 9 boys or girls carries out an economic activity that is prohibited by law for them.

According to the Dominican legislation, children under 14 cannot be employed, not even in work with their families. From 14 to 17 they can work but not in hazardous activities or other tasks which deprive them of education, health, leisure and basic freedoms.