• In Honduras, around 404,000 children and adolescents work.

• 13% of Honduran migrants who returned in 2018 were under 18 years old, with the search for work being one of the reasons for migrating.

• The new study will help improve care and support policies for the reintegration of returned migrant children.

Within the framework of the World Day against Child Labor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (SRECI), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented the publication “Migration and child labor - Honduras 2019 ”in San Pedro Sula.

This study presents information on unaccompanied migrant children returned to Honduras, their families, and their link to child labor. The results obtained provide a clearer picture of the situation to help humanitarian management and the development of public policies based on knowledge.

“We call on the Honduran State, society and family to join forces in favor of the guarantee and full compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with special emphasis on migrant children and adolescents. It is imperative that - in all the decisions we make - we prioritize those that eradicate child exploitation, that increasingly minimize the risks of irregular migration and that fully restore the fundamental rights of the youngest migrant population. Thus, we will contribute to the development of the country in favor of each and everyone ”, said the Chief of Mission for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Jorge Peraza Breedy.

Among the main findings of the research, it is found that the majority of unaccompanied migrant children returned to Honduras are adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age (88%) and that 75% are children. Also, it refers that the main destinations are the United States and Mexico. In addition, from the surveys, it was possible to identify the departments of origin with the highest percentage of returned migrant children, among which the following stand out: Cortés, Francisco Morazán and Yoro.

Regarding child labor, from the study it is known that 68.5% of returned migrant children had a paid job before embarking on the migration route , and that on average they worked 34.8 hours per week. The sector with the highest percentage of working children was agriculture, where boys were mainly involved (57% of the total), while girls were involved in domestic work (28% of the total).

Although migration is linked to multi-causal factors such as job search, better living conditions, family reunification, violence and insecurity, among others, 57% of migrant children who worked before their trip migrated for work reasons; and the 26% who did not work before their trip also migrated for work reasons. In this sense, the study suggests that the probability that the child has migrated for work reasons is higher when they did previous child labor.  

One of the most worrying characteristics of returned migrant children who worked before leaving is that 82% did not comply with the expected schooling , while those who did not work did.

On the other hand, the study also presents migrant children who had an unpaid job before migrating. In this regard, it is clarified that 61% did unpaid family work and that they worked an average of 8.6 hours a week. Unlike the case of migrant children who are paid workers, the highest percentage of this other group carried out domestic work (87% girls and 73% boys).

An interesting fact to highlight for migrant children returned with unpaid work is that girls have a higher percentage of migration for work reasons when they did not have previous unpaid work compared to those who had worked without pay.

With the new data collected by the SRECI, ILO and IOM study, Honduras has a new useful and first-hand resource to improve care and support policies for the reintegration of returned migrant children. On the other hand, the characterization obtained will also help prevent the irregular migration of children and adolescents in the country.

To find out more results of the study, go to  http://iniciativa2025alc.org/sites/default/files/migracion-y-trabajo-infantil-HONDURAS2019.pdf