§ Lord Faulkner of Worcesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the scale of child labour; and what should be done about it. [HL4695]
§ Baroness CrawleyThe most recent report from the International Labour Organisation estimates that there are 246 million working children: 179 million of them are engaged in the worst forms of child labour that endanger their physical, mental and moral well-being.
The Government will continue to support partners that tackle child labour internationally, nationally and locally, and to promote policies that support poverty elimination and social justice for children. My department has recently published a paper, Liberating Children—combating hidden and harmful child labour. which looks at why there are so many children in harmful work and suggests how everyone—governments, international organisations, business and civil society—has a part to play in tackling this persistent problem.