§ 12. Mr. MacShaneTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the number of children working for a wage worldwide; and if she will make a statement. [46876]
§ Clare ShortThere are some 250 million child labourers world wide. There are no exact figures, but probably only a minority are in waged employment. Most are beggars, child prostitutes, domestic servants or unpaid workers on their family land. Some are bonded workers who are virtually slaves. Last month at the International Labour Organisation a convention was agreed—strongly supported by the UK Government—immediately to outlaw the worst forms of child labour. At the Oslo Conference in November 1997, we agreed that plans should be put in place in each country to phase out the abuse of child labour and to work to get child labourers into education and to improve their family income.