Child Labour on the Decline

The International Labour Organization has released an encouraging report that worldwide child labour is in decline. Despite the encouraging news it is still staggering to see how prevelant child labour (especially in hazardous work) is throughout the world. Here are a few of the most disturbing statistics in the report:

% of children working in hazardous work:

males: ages 5-11: 50.5%; ages 12-14: 60.6%; ages 15-17: 62.1%
females: ages 5-11: 49.5%; ages 12-14: 39.4%; ages 15-17: 37.9%

Of the working children in the world, 69% work in agriculture, 22% in service and 9% in industry. The action plan “proposes that the International Labour Organization and its member States continue to pursue the goal of the effective abolition of child labour by committing themselves to the elimination of all worst forms of child labour by 2016”. Lets hope that a genuine global commitment to achieving this important goal is forthcoming.

Cheers,
Colin