Colombia has 1 million child workers: govt .
Colombia has 1 million child workers: govt .
Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:37 Sarah Kinosian
To commemorate the “World Day Against Child Labor,” Colombia’s Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) underscored statistics that claimed the country has around one million child laborers and called for political reform.
According to Colombia’s National Statistics department (DANE), child laborers are mainly concentrated in the agriculture and mining sectors.
ICBF director Diego Aponte Molano said children working in illegal mining operations posed the greatest concern due to the demanding nature of the work on top of the fact that their presence was difficult to detect. He called on the Colombian government for policy changes that will allow these children to go back to school and create a better future for themselves.
According to Ximena Norato, Director of the Foundation Agency of Journalism Communications Allied with Children, Social Development and Research, 5,000 children -- around 0.5% of Colombia's child population -- work in quarries and mines in the country.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24539-colombia-has-1m-child-workers-govt-.html
