Child workers decreasing in Asia: UN
The good news is that child labour in Asia is decreasing. The bad news is that it is not declining fast enough.
Despite a drop of about 5 million since 2000, working children number an estimated 122 million in Asia, or 64 per cent of the worldwide total, according to the International Labor Organisation.
Thats just slightly less than the entire population of Japan. Though the causes of child labour are complex, the UN agency says a key problem is that there are too many people who, despite wanting their children in school, either cant afford fees or related costs like transportation and uniforms or would find it hard to get by without the extra income.
In such an environment, many families send their kids to work - in the fields, in factories, selling trinkets on the street or even in dangerous worksites, like mines.
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