Number Of Child Workers Still High In E. Kalimantan

Samarinda, East Kalimantan, June 1 (ANTARA) - The number of child workers in East Kalimantan is still rather high and has reached 42 thousand children, said an official. "Child workers are prevalent in several sectors of business. The emergence of child labour is mostly due to economic factors," remarked the head of East Kalimantan Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Johni Anwar, here on Friday. He said that the data regarding child workers were sourced from the results of the national labour force survey. According to Johni Anwar, the phenomenon of child labour reflects many problems associated with poverty and the lack of educational opportunities. The low income of their parents is forcing children in East Kalimantan to start working. In addition, the high cost of education in Indonesia impacts school-aged children`s opportunities to obtain education. "At their age, children should have the right to protection, the right to participate and a number of other rights which may help their mental growth," he added. According to him, child labour is defined as the legwork performed by children aged 10-17 years to help their parents, others or themselves - whether or not they are rewarded for their work. Overall, the service sector is the most accessible sector for child workers, who constitute 49.04 percent of its workforce. This is followed by the agricultural sector, at 42.21 percent, while the industrial sector is third, at 8.75 percent.