SAD BUT TRUE
250 million child workers in the world
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) says 250 million children between the ages of five and 14 are working—61% of them in Asia, 32% in Africa, 7% in Latin America and a small number in rich countries (two million in the European Union). One in three children in Africa works, one in four in Asia and one in five in Latin America.
On top of that, 15-20% of children in developing countries work for no pay, often as domestics or farmworkers. Two-thirds of child workers live in the countryside: 20% of them are between 5 and 9 years old, compared with only 5% in this same age bracket in towns and cities.
About 120 million children work full time. This means they can neither go to school or learn a trade and have little time to play.