<p>Almost half of Brazil's 1.8 million child labourers work in dangerous conditions, government data showed on Thursday, amid efforts to convince Brazilians, including the president, that child labour is harmful.</p>.<p>It is the first time that Brazil's statistics agency has collected data on dangerous forms of child labour, which include sex work, drug trafficking and handling heavy machinery.</p>.<p>"This is a very worrying number," said Ana Maria Villa Real, Brazil's top prosecutor on child labour.</p>.<p>"We have children and teenagers ... handling pesticides, exposed to solar radiation, to venomous animals."</p>.<p>It is illegal for children under the age of 16 to work in Brazil, except for apprentices who can start at 14 but cannot do hazardous jobs.</p>.<p>President Jair Bolsonaro said last year that work, at any age, brings dignity and that he began working at the age of eight, reflecting a common view in Brazil that work prevents young people getting caught up with gangs or drugs.</p>.<p>While about 97% of Brazilian children go to school, Thursday's data from the national statistics agency showed only 86% of child labourers attend school, seen by child rights advocates as evidence of the harm caused by underage work.</p>.<p>Boys accounted for 66% of children working illegally.</p>.<p><strong>Cheap</strong></p>.<p>Child labourers earn very little money, the data showed, with 16 and 17 year olds receiving an average of R$ 561 ($111) - about half of the monthly minimum wage. Children aged between five and 13 were paid R$ 163, or 15% of the legal minimum.</p>.<p>"This shows how cheap child labor is. That's why it's so widespread," said Villa Real.</p>.<p>The data was collected in 2019 and does not take into account the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic, which child rights experts fear has caused child labour to surge.</p>.<p>The figures show a 17% drop in child labour in Brazil since 2016, the last time the survey was published.</p>.<p>The Labour Prosecutor's Office said this matched its experience in recent years, with reports of child labour falling by two-thirds since 2015 to 1,799 complaints received in 2020.</p>.<p>"This corroborates the thesis that underreporting is growing, (or the tolerance towards child labour)," it said in a statement.</p>.<p>The latest data will make it possible to enact new policies, said Antonio de Oliveira Lima, a labour prosecutor who works with local governments to fight child labour by raising awareness among parents, teachers and pupils in schools.</p>.<p>"Now, based on this data, we can update the debates (on child labour) and get to work." ($1 = 5.0535 reais)</p>
<p>Almost half of Brazil's 1.8 million child labourers work in dangerous conditions, government data showed on Thursday, amid efforts to convince Brazilians, including the president, that child labour is harmful.</p>.<p>It is the first time that Brazil's statistics agency has collected data on dangerous forms of child labour, which include sex work, drug trafficking and handling heavy machinery.</p>.<p>"This is a very worrying number," said Ana Maria Villa Real, Brazil's top prosecutor on child labour.</p>.<p>"We have children and teenagers ... handling pesticides, exposed to solar radiation, to venomous animals."</p>.<p>It is illegal for children under the age of 16 to work in Brazil, except for apprentices who can start at 14 but cannot do hazardous jobs.</p>.<p>President Jair Bolsonaro said last year that work, at any age, brings dignity and that he began working at the age of eight, reflecting a common view in Brazil that work prevents young people getting caught up with gangs or drugs.</p>.<p>While about 97% of Brazilian children go to school, Thursday's data from the national statistics agency showed only 86% of child labourers attend school, seen by child rights advocates as evidence of the harm caused by underage work.</p>.<p>Boys accounted for 66% of children working illegally.</p>.<p><strong>Cheap</strong></p>.<p>Child labourers earn very little money, the data showed, with 16 and 17 year olds receiving an average of R$ 561 ($111) - about half of the monthly minimum wage. Children aged between five and 13 were paid R$ 163, or 15% of the legal minimum.</p>.<p>"This shows how cheap child labor is. That's why it's so widespread," said Villa Real.</p>.<p>The data was collected in 2019 and does not take into account the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic, which child rights experts fear has caused child labour to surge.</p>.<p>The figures show a 17% drop in child labour in Brazil since 2016, the last time the survey was published.</p>.<p>The Labour Prosecutor's Office said this matched its experience in recent years, with reports of child labour falling by two-thirds since 2015 to 1,799 complaints received in 2020.</p>.<p>"This corroborates the thesis that underreporting is growing, (or the tolerance towards child labour)," it said in a statement.</p>.<p>The latest data will make it possible to enact new policies, said Antonio de Oliveira Lima, a labour prosecutor who works with local governments to fight child labour by raising awareness among parents, teachers and pupils in schools.</p>.<p>"Now, based on this data, we can update the debates (on child labour) and get to work." ($1 = 5.0535 reais)</p>