A/HRC/45/8 26. While informal work is a greater source of employment for men, women are more often exposed to vulnerable categories of work, such as domestic work, where they face low wages, excessively long hours, risk of physical, mental and sexual abuse or restrictions on freedom of movement and other exploitation. 23 These risks are further amplified by COVID-19. For example, before the pandemic, migrant women employed as domestic workers in Lebanon were largely excluded from adequate protection under domestic labour law and were exposed to exploitative and abusive working conditions (CCPR/C/LBN/CO/3, paras. 39–40). Emerging accounts suggest further deterioration of their situation, with more cases of sexual exploitation by their employers. 24 In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, domestic workers are reportedly experiencing increasing pressure to comply with demands by their employers, fearing that their contracts might be terminated.25 Indeed, ILO estimates that nearly three quarters of domestic workers around the world, predominantly women, are at risk of losing their jobs. 26 Many have no access to social security or other safety nets. Rising demands by employers to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in order to prevent the spread of the virus have been reported, leading to an increase of workload for domestic workers without compensation of overtime.27 27. In addition to bearing the brunt of massive job losses, 28 women have been increasingly subjected to intimate partner violence and gender-based violence as a result of the lockdown measures.29 Domestic violence may also become a push factor, increasing the vulnerability of victims to trafficking in persons and sexual exploitation. 28. Gender inequalities, discrimination based on race, caste group or other category and stereotypes about suitable forms of employment for women, combined with lack of labour protection laws and policies, perpetuate conditions leading to their exploitation. 30 Furthermore, older women are less likely than men to receive a pension. 29. Women living in places affected by humanitarian crises are even more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, including sexual exploitation and forced labour. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that more women in Central America are coerced to engage in sex work, which also increases risks both in terms of health and exploitation by criminal groups.31 5. Children and young people 30. Young people aged between 15 and 24 years old will be among the most affected by the longer-term impact of the global recession and unemployment. 32 More than three quarters of young workers in 2019 were in informal jobs (most notably in Africa and South Asia), which render them vulnerable to economic crises and shocks. In addition to unprecedented job losses, the crisis has disrupted their education and training. 31. It is estimated that between 42 and 66 million children could fall into extreme poverty, adding to the 386 million children who were already in extreme poverty in 2019. 33 Temporary school closures, combined with pressure from the sudden loss of livelihoods, 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 ILO, “Empowering women working in the informal economy”, issue brief No. 4 prepared for the second meeting of the Global Commission on the Future of Work, 15–17 February 2018, p. 1. Walk Free, “Protecting people in a pandemic”, April 2020, p. 7. Submission from Kalayaan. Information received from ILO. International Domestic Workers Federation, “Statement on protecting domestic workers’ rights and fighting the coronavirus pandemic”, 18 March 2020. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, “Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis”, 1 April 2020, p. 6. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), “COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls”, April 2020. Ibid. UNHCR, “Coronavirus lockdowns in Central America, exploited by criminal gangs”, UN News press release, 15 May 2020. ILO, “ILO monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work. Fourth edition”, p. 2. United Nations, “Policy brief: the impact of COVID-19 on children”, 15 April 2020, p. 2. 7