There are an estimated 436,000 child laborers in the DR. What is most alarming is that of the workers, 240,000 are between the ages of 5 and 13.
The breakdown by age is:
191,840 – 10 and 14 years
152,600 – 15 and 17 years
91,560 – 5 and 9 years
Of these 436,000 children, 244,160 work in urban areas and 191,840 are rural workers.
Most child workers (20.3%) live in the Cibao region. The southwest follows with 17.6%, the National District has 16.3% and the southeast has 15.7% of all child workers.
International Labor Organization (ILO) coordinator Elias Dinzey revealed the numbers during a conference on Journalism and Child Labor in Santo Domingo.
He said that 177,452 child laborers work in communal services. An estimated 18.2% do adult labor on farms while 20.5% work in trade and 11.6% work in manufacturing.
The study also found that 18% of these children are involved in jobs that puts them at risk of physical harm.