Child Labor Rampant in Kingdom

[geovalin]

Cambodia’s dependence on illegal child labor, despite its small population, is endemic compared to neighboring countries, according to Veng Heang, director of the Child Labor Department at the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training If we talk about numbers, our population is smaller, but if we talk about percentages, Cambodia’s is similar to neighboring countries,” Mr. Heang said.

It has been tough to limit the pervasive nature of child labor in Cambodia due to the poverty of the many families in the country, Mr. Heang said. According to analysis conducted by World Vision Cambodia, there are 429,380 child laborers working in the Kingdom, 236,498 of whom work in conditions classified as dangerous.

Kampong Cham province, with 41,596, and Battambang province, with 26,104, have the highest numbers of children engaged in dangerous work, the report read. It added that 50.4 percent of child laborers work in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, 19 percent work on production lines, 14.7 percent work in sales and repair positions, 5.1 percent work in the food service and accommodation sectors, 3 percent work in transportation and 4.1 percent work in unclassified industries.

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