§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the recent international conference concerning the use of child labour that was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and what response he made to the declaration.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThere was not an international conference as such.
Representatives of the International Labour Organisation, UNICEF and the US Government recently had discussions with the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association about child labour in Bangladesh. The member companies of BGMEA have undertaken to try to end child labour in their factories.
We applaud this, but understand that the immediate effect has been to increase hardship as many thousands of children have been laid off with no provision for their welfare. Many of the children, instead of working in garment factories, are now working elsewhere.
This reinforces our view that the best approach to the problem of child labour is to try to tackle the poverty which is often its cause. Our aid programme seeks to address poverty, and includes funding for projects to help children in employment. We also encourage other Governments to help children, both through dialogue and by funding activities such as slum improvement schemes in south Asia.