Peru: One in Four Children Work Illegally

According to a June 12, 2013 article by Publimetro, 1.6 million children work illegally in Peru, representing one fourth of the total child population. This makes Peru behind only Brazil and Mexico in terms of the most child workers in Latin America. In the central Andean region of Junín alone, 100,000 children work in agriculture and the raising of livestock. In Peru, the minimum working age is 14 years, with some permits granted at 12 years of age.

The Ministry of Women reported that while Peru does have a plan to eradicate child labor and that there has been a slight downward trend in the number of child laborers, there still remains a high incidence of working children and adolescents. According to the National Statistics Institute, the economic sectors with the highest numbers of child laborers include family businesses, domestic work, agriculture and livestock raising, selling products and providing services such as washing cars or shining shoes. Read Article