A/HRC/45/8 food shortages and breakdown of community safety nets, may result in a permanent end to education for many children and a rise in child labour, including the worst forms of child labour.34 32. Currently, there are 152 million children in work, 72 million of whom are in hazardous work.35 ILO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have warned that the crisis is expected to push millions more into child labour. 36 Indeed, an increasing number of children are reportedly working on farms and/or selling vegetables or fruit in the streets.37 Once they enter the workforce, it becomes difficult to incentivize them and their parents to return when schools reopen. 33. Civil society organizations and United Nations agencies in Africa, 38 the Middle 39 East and South Asia 40 have reported a spike in sexual violence against children, 41 including a significant increase in the number of girls married off before the age of 18, and in unplanned teenage pregnancies. 42 The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that the growing economic hardship and disrupted education caused by the pandemic could result in an estimated 13 million more child marriages over the next 10 years, further exacerbating existing levels of gender discrimination and gender inequality. 43 Girls are also increasingly exposed to domestic servitude and subjected to sexual exploitation in exchange for food and other essential items. 44 34. The rising number of children in street situations is yet another reflection of the pandemic. 45 Reports from some countries indicate their increasing engagement in street begging due to loss of livelihoods, family violence or sexual exploitation. As a result, they are also at higher risk of being exposed to trafficking in persons. 46 In Ghana and Nigeria, more children are seen in street situations and used in criminal activities, such as theft.47 35. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about anecdotal information from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique and the Niger suggesting that the combination of severe economic shocks, food shortages, school closures and deteriorating security situations creates fertile ground for the forced recruitment of children by armed groups. 48 36. Children from marginalized minority groups, child migrants, children with disabilities, children who are homeless or from single or child-headed households or disaster-affected areas are more at risk of child labour and other forms of exploitation and abuse.49 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 8 Shelby Carvalho and Susannah Hares, “More from our database on school closures: new education policies may be increasing educational inequality, Center for Global Development, 30 March 2020. ILO, Global estimates of child labour: Results and trends, 2012–2016 (Geneva, ILO, 2017), p. 5. ILO and UNICEF, “Covid-19 and child labour: a time of crisis, a time to act”, June 2020, p. 23. Terre des Hommes, “Terre des Hommes warns of a dramatic increase in child labour as a result of the corona pandemic” press release, 12 June 2020. Information provided by civil society organization, Creuset, Togo. Global Protection Cluster, “Iraq: COVID-19 protection situation report as of 06 May 2020”. UNICEF, “Urgent action need to safeguard futures of nearly 600 million South Asian children threatened by COVID-19”, press release, 24 June 2020. Save the Children, “Spike in violence against Venezuelan children as COVID-19 deepens crisis”, press release, 24 June 2020. Plan International, “COVID-19: lockdown linked to high number of unintended teen pregnancies in Kenya”, press release, 25 June 2020. UNFPA, “Millions more cases of violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, unintended pregnancy expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic”, press release, 28 April 2020. Information provided by civil society organization, Life Bloom Services International, Kenya. Submission from Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. Information received from Life Bloom Services International, Kenya, and Centre d’Etudes sur le Leadership et la promotion des Droits Humains, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Submission from Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, p. 3. Global Protection Cluster, “The coping crisis: the rise of adverse survival strategies”, COVID-19 protection risks and responses: situation report 6, 30 June 2020. Submission from United Nations country team, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, p. 10.