Millions of children work to survive
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June 12th is World Day Against Child Labour
About 215 million children around the world work to survive, according to the latest report from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
More than half of these children, the agency adds, are exposed to the worst forms of child labour including slavery and armed conflict.
World Day Against Child Labour is observed on 12 June to focus attention to this problem.
Patrick Quinn, from the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour says forced or bonded child labour is one of the pressing concerns for the agency.
"What we find in some parts of the world is that children are being forced into labour essentially to pay off family debts and this could be a self-perpetuating problem. It can persist over generations and there are still many areas in south Asia where we find significant numbers of children working in debt bondage. Essentially it's a form of slavery and it’s one which the international community must address urgently." (Duration: 24")
The ILO says there is a large gap between the ratification of Conventions on child labour and the actions countries take to deal with the problem.
