8 of every 100 children work

To eradicate child labor, poverty must be reduced. This was one of the conclusions of the First National Congress on the Situation of Child Labor in Ecuador, held between Monday and yesterday. The event was organized by the Council for Intergenerational Equality and the University of Azuay (UDA).
The situations of extreme poverty and poverty due to economic income mean that households cannot meet their basic needs to survive and this leads to the decision that children work, said Doménica Ávila, event panelist and economist who works at the University from Cuenca.
"Parents do not make it bad, they make this decision because it is the only option they have ... to eat now, in the present, beyond what they may have in the future ...", he said.
According to INEC statistics, in December of the 2018 child labor was located in 5,4% in the country and in March of the 2019 in 8,5%.
However, at the statistical level the surveys carried out in December are more relevant, said Nicolás Reyes, technical secretary of the Council for Intergenerational Equality.
If compared to December of the 2017, child labor was recorded in 5,2%; so you have to wait for the December results of the 2019 to make a comparison. According to Reyes, the issue is linked to social gaps, poverty, extreme poverty and unemployment.

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For Doménica Ávila, one of the most important strategies to combat the problem is to identify who are the adults responsible for working children and provide opportunities for access to good employment for these adults and thus improve the situation of their homes.
From there you can take advantage of opportunities for access to education for minors.
But the picture is broader, said another panelist, Andrés Mideros, a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador.
He said that the economy and society cannot be divided, because the current government is prioritizing an economic policy based on the fiscal deficit, forgetting the need, the productive recovery and the ultimate goal of Ecuadorian welfare.
"The economy is declining, unemployment is increasing, poverty is increasing, inequality and with it households are forced to take survival strategies that violate rights ...", hence the children have to change the school to go to work , said Mideros.
The professor explained that the economic link with society must be restored, since the objective of economic policy is the well-being of citizens and the most vulnerable.

Role of the academy

Juanita Bersosa, a professor at the University of Azuay (UDA), highlighted the role of the academy in social issues, since if there are elements, public policy is evaluated, the studies that have been done and the statistics are seen, They can cross with university projects.
Bersosa said that it will now work on a publication that will condense everything that was discussed at the congress and will be available to the public in digital format. In addition, the UDA signed an agreement with the Council for Intergenerational Equality to work on projects with the faculties on child labor.