Vietnam is undertaking maximum efforts to reduce the number child labourers who are accounting for 10 percent children.
Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diepexplained in a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on September 9 thatlight and short-term work that does not harm the physical and mentalgrowth and human dignity of children is excluded from the definition ofchild labour.
However, employing a child of 5-17years of age to work more than seven hours a day is considered illegaland classified as child labour, Diep noted.
Raisingpublic awareness of the issue was the key solution, he said, adding thatit was necessary to impose sanctions on employers of child labourersand provide aid packages to encourage poor children to go to schoolinstead of work.
He valued the ongoing projectfunded by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the USDepartment of Labour for its efforts in helping Vietnam eradicate childlabour in the garment and brick manufacturing industries.
According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs,nearly 1.8 million children are forced to work illegally in Vietnam,with the majority living in rural areas and 67 percent working inagriculture.-VNA