June 02, 2016 - 1:05 AM
OTTAWA - The federal government is set to sign an international convention against child labour. It's part of worldwide efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour this year and eliminate all by 2020. Here are some facts and figures about children at work:
168 million: Estimated number of child labourers in 2013
44: Percentage of child labourers who are between the ages of 5 and 11
85 million: Children worldwide who do hazardous work
98 million: Child workers in the agricultural sector worldwide
78 million: Child workers in the Asia-Pacific region, the highest total worldwide
21: Percentage of children in Sub-Saharan Africa who are in child labour, making it the region with the highest incidence rate in the world.
40: Percentage drop between 2000 and 2012 in the number of girls working around the world.
25: Percentage drop between 2000 and 2012 in the number of boys working.
(Source: International Labour Organization)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016