1 mln minors put under illegal working conditions in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Almost 1 million minors are working under illegal conditions in Brazil, according to a study released on Wednesday by the country's statistics agency IBGE.

According to IBGE's National Household Survey (PNAD), 1.8 million children and teens aged 5-17 were working regularly in Brazil in 2016, working an average of 25.3 hours per week.

In Brazil, children and teenagers up to 13 years of age are not allowed to work, regardless of pay and the number of working hours. Teens aged 14 to 17 are allowed to work under specific conditions, such as in apprenticeships, and cannot be put under long working hours or unhealthy work conditions. They cannot work at night either.

"Child labor must be abolished in all forms," said Flavia Santos, an analyst with IBGE.

Among minors, boys have higher average earnings than girls, indicating that the gender pay gap occurs in child labor as well. The northeastern region has a higher incidence of child labor, and the agricultural sector has the highest number of child workers. Enditem