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An estimated 126 million children are in hazardous work -- one
in every 12 of the world's children aged between five and 17 years
old -- a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO)
says.
Although the report, The End of Child Labour: Within reach,
shows a global reduction of the problem and that progress is being
made through action against the worst forms of child labour, it
also reveals that child labour remains a significant problem.
"We welcome the report, which provides valuable ammunition
in the fight against all forms of child slavery and forced labour.
The fact that there has been a large, overall reduction in the level
of child labour worldwide is encouraging, though the number of children
in slavery remains of serious concern," David Ould Director
of Anti-Slavery International said.
Although there are no new statistics for children in slavery, a
recent ILO report estimates that at least six million children are
in forced labour*.
It is vital that laws against child labour, such as the ILO's conventions
on the worst forms of child labour and minimum age, are implemented
if child slavery is to be tackled. And that child labour and slavery
in general are included in the realisation of the Millennium Development
Goals, particularly regarding the issues of discrimination based
on ethnicity, caste and gender.
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