Iquitos, Peru: 70% Children in School Live in Poverty, Work

ElComercio.pe reports that about 70% of school children are beginning to work from five years of age. According to the NGOs Human Capital and Social Alternative (CHS) and La Restinga, the 70% of schoolchildren poor and work to help provide for their family. Some have had to drop out of school. In the last five years, the age a child starts to work decreased from 10 years to 5 years, CHS reports. Many children are exploited by their bosses, El Comercio reports. The Regional Steering Committee for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor has pointed to the lack of education, which provides risks, such as violence and abuse, for the young workers. The committee is looking to enlist the help of entities that can provide support for children and families, in order to increase educational years for younger Peruvians.Read Article