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According to a government study released in conjunction with Save the Children, nearly two-thirds of South Sudanese children are engaged in the worst forms of child labor. Rates can reach as high as 90% in the hardest-hit regions, according to a report from the government.

More than 418 households in seven states were surveyed by the National Child Labour Study on Friday, and it revealed that 64 percent of children between the ages of five and seventeen were subject to forced labor, sexual exploitation, theft, and conflict.

The findings reveal a crisis that is far more complicated than just poverty, which has been exacerbated by constant flooding, disease spread, and conflict that has displaced families and threatened to endanger millions of people.

Nine out of ten children in Kapoeta South, close to Uganda’s border, are instead taught to do so through farming, pastoralism, and gold mining, according to the report.

The southwest of the nation, Yambio, experienced similarly dire rates, with local conflict and child marriage causing children to become infertile.

According to the report, children typically begin with simple occupations before being drawn into increasingly dangerous and exploitative occupations. About 10% of those surveyed said they were involved with armed organizations, particularly in the counties of Akobo, Bentiu, and Kapoeta South.

By gender, children may encounter various forms of exploitation. Girls are disproportionately subject to forced marriage, domestic servitude, and sexual abuse, while boys are more likely to work in dangerous industries or join armed groups.

A A A Crise that transcends poverty

According to researchers, knowing the law does not stop child exploitation.

According to the surveys, 70% of children who were living in dangerous or illegal jobs were raised by adults who knew about legal protections. Children were not aware that there was assistance, in the third instance.

“When almost two-thirds of a country’s children are working, and almost every child in some places, almost every child,” said Chris Nyamandi, the country director for South Sudan for Save the Children.

Child labor is far more prevalent in South Sudan than regional patterns. South Sudan’s 64%, which is more than twice the continent’s worst at 30 percent, is comparable to that percentage, according to ILO-UNICEF data.

According to Nyamandi, “education is the strongest protective factor,” noting that students who study are far less likely to be exploited.

At the launch of the report in Juba, the government acknowledged the situation. Officials will use the evidence as a “critical foundation for action,” according to Deng Tong, undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour.

Nearly one million people have been affected by severe flooding in South Sudan, with 335, 000 of them displaced and more than 140 of their medical facilities having been submerged or damaged.

7.7 million people are currently experiencing acute hunger, according to the United Nations, and the country is currently experiencing a related malaria outbreak, with more than 104, 000 cases reported in the past week.

Concerns about a new civil war grip South Sudan. According to UN investigators, armed clashes have started on a scale not seen since 2017 and President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar’s peace agreement, which is reportedly getting closer to breaking point.

In September, Machar was detained and charged with treason, murder, and crimes against humanity. He has thrown out any allegations.