§ 29. Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of applying the ILO convention on child labour to the British armed forces. [90228]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonThe new ILO Convention concerns the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. This includes the
forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflictwhich is clearly an unacceptable form of child labour. The recruitment of genuine volunteers, as undertaken here in the UK, is entirely different from the abusive, exploitative, forced or coercive involvement of children in armed conflict as members of militia or para-military forces. The new Convention will not, therefore, have an effect on our armed forces.