Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
ILO in Asia and the Pacific
Santo Domingo (Agenzia Fides) - In the Dominican Republic the phenomenon of child labor is more prevalent among boys and girls who live in urban areas than in rural areas. According to official statistics more than 320,000 children in the age group between 5 and 17, do adult jobs, are exposed to dangers and diseases that prevent them from attending school, deprives them of medical care and to grow as a family. These activities are prohibited in the Country for that age group. "12.8% of all children between 5 and 7 years of age are victims of child labor", says the study A fair opportunity for each child, Dominican Republic in 2016 drawn up by UNICEF. The Country is in the tenth place in Latin America and the Caribbean where there is the highest percentage of working children, with a rate three times higher than the average for the region (9%). (AP) (Agenzia Fides 19/10/2016)
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