250,000,000
At least 250 million school-aged children are child labourers. Almost half of these are employed in full-time jobs, for low wages and in hazardous conditions.

Here, you can hear some of these children talk about their lives and find out why child labour is one of the legacies of war in Africa and Asia.

'I get tired' Emal (In Pashtu) Read Emal's story (In English) 'My father was an engineer' Hilai (in Persian) Read Hilai's story (In English)

after war Most children in Afghanistan have no memory of a time when their country was not in a state of war. Twenty years ago, Afghanistan was invaded by the Former Soviet Union in support of an unpopular military coup. Today the country is controlled by the Sunni Muslim Taliban. It is estimated that almost half the children in Kabul have lost their fathers. There is extreme poverty and under Taliban rule, women are not allowed to study or work. In this context, many fatherless children take on the repsonsibility of supporting their families.

cheap An estimated 1.5 million Afghan refugees live in Pakistan. Many of the children work in carpet factories near their camps in Peshawar. Although the carpet manufacturers have promised to eliminate child labour, the practice remains widespread. The scarcity of paid adult employment encourages parents to let their children work. Children are cheaper, more malleable workers than adults. In carpet making, their small, agile hands are highly valued by manufacturers. The children have a limited working life. As they mature and their health deteriorates, often due to the long hours spent working in poor conditions, they are replaced by their younger siblings. Without education and opportunities, their future prospects are limited. 9-year-old Raihana weaves rugs

A 14-year-old carpet maker 'I have six sisters and seven brothers.' Raihana (in Persian) Read Raihana's story (In English)

Valerie sells ice cream in Mogadishu, Somalia. She has shaved her head as she can't afford shampoo to stop her getting lice. 'I am here because of suffering' Alberto (in Portuguese) Read Alberto's story (In English)

on the streets 15 years of civil war have crippled Mozambique. Although there has been political stability since 1992, the country's economy and infrastructure have been devastated. In the capital Maputo, many children who have lost their parents in the war scavenge and beg on the streets. This is how 13-year-old Alberto supports himself and his mother. His father and elder brother were lost in the war. For children like Alberto, going to school is just a dream.

'We are looking for money to buy clothes' Mariazinha (In Portuguese) Read Mariazinha's story (In English) 'We buy things for us and our children' Maria and Lili (In Portuguese) Read Maria and Lili's story (In English)

prostitution For such children, living a hand to mouth existence on the streets selling their bodies, gives them access to much larger amounts of money. In this way, children can often earn more than adults in regular employment. 9-year-old Mariazinha, lost a leg in a car accident and uses crutches. The easiest way for Mariazinha to earn money is to have sex with white tourists visiting Mozambique. In Angola the civil war which started in 1975 is still going on. Most of the country's oil and diamond revenues are spent on military equipment. Many children have fled the conflict zones and now live in the coastal cities in overcrowded slums. In the capital Luanda, 16-year-old Maria and 15-year-old Lili, both of whom have small children, work as prostitutes to support their families.

a skill For poor families, letting children go out to work may be a rational decision. But from a long-term perspective, child labour only brings more poverty. Often working children miss out on their education . The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) believes that families should receive financial compensation for the loss of income if children give up work to go to school. The Cidadela das Criancas project in Mozambique gives shelter and support to former street workers. Jorge is one of these children.

'Mozambique oye' Jorge sings of Mozambique (In Portuguese)

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