New Delhi, May 30 (KNN) Most of the member states in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are home to a number of child labourers, as globally 61 per cent of economically active children exist in Asia-Pacific.

“Most of the member states in the SAARC region are home to significant number of child labourers because worldwide 61 per cent of economically active children exist in Asia-Pacific followed by 29 per cent in Africa,” said Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Kodikunnil Suresh in the second SAARC workshop on child labour held here yesterday. 

A global report showed that child labour declined only by three per cent during 2004-08, from 222 million to 215 million.

India believes that South-South cooperation is the most important tool for all of us to solve our socio-economic problems, he added.

In the last few years, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) projects have helped to lay the foundation of south-south cooperation in the International Labour Organization (ILO).  

Meanwhile, new estimates presented in the ILO 2010 global report on child labour showed a mixed picture, suggesting some progress but also cause of concern.

In India, there is decline in trend of economically active children in the age group of 5-14 years.  As per National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) survey 2004-05, there were 90.75 lakhs working children in the country.  This has come down to 49.84 lakhs in 2009-10, which shows a decline by 45 per cent, the minister said.

Further, he said, India is in process of amending the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation, act and proposed amendments will enable India to ratify some of the ILO conventions. (KNN)