If you had to guess at how many children are involved in forced labour round the world, does 152 million sound about right? And what if we told you that this is actually an improvement on the number of youngsters working illegally 20 years ago?

Today, these gains are at risk, as the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis affects millions of families already on the poverty line, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has warned.

For many, it is increasingly difficult not to consider sending their youngsters out to work, as ILO’s Michaelle De Kock tells UN News’ Daniel Johnson, marking the World Day Against Child Labour.

This post was originally published on UN News.