Rio, October 13, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The number of working children and adolescents in Brazil continues to decrease, but it is still very large, considering the continuing policy initiated in 1992 to combat child labor in the country. Of a total of 43 million children in the 5-17 age bracket, 5 million, or 12.6%, still worked in 2002. In 1992 over 8 million children worked in various activities, chiefly in agriculture and in informal employment in the large urban centers.

The National Sample Survey of Residences - PNAD 2002, released on Friday (10) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), confirms the declining tendency in child labor in Brazil, most significantly among the 10-14 age group, in which the percentage of working children fell from 20.4% in 1992 to 11.3% in 2002. It is assumed that these children enrolled in school, motivated by such social programs as the School Grant.

According to the IBGE, the working population between 5 and 14 years old was mostly concentrated in small family businesses, especially in the agricultural sector, working without pay. In 2002, agricultural activities occupied 59.7% of working children between 5 and 14.

In the 5-9 age bracket, the percentage was 75.6; in the 10-14 bracket, it was 57.3%. The study shows that, from 1992 to 2002, in the 5-14 age group, the percentage of boys who worked fell from 16.2% to 8.7%, and that of girls, from 8% to 4.3%. In the 15-17 age group, the percentage who worked rose from 31.5% in 2001 to 31.8% in 2002, demonstrating the need for young people to work, since they are already experiencing difficulties in finding school openings. (DAS)