Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has called for everyone across the nation to understand the issues surrounding child labour and to make sure that children are given appropriate forms of work.
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Mr Phankham made the call in a message to mark World Day Against Child Labour, which has been observed annually on June 12 since 2002.
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“It’s important to understand the context of child labour and why the prohibition of child labour has been encouraged by the international community,” he said.
“However, it’s impossible to absolutely prohibit children from working,” he added.
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The prime minister explained that child labour referred to the use of or forcing children to work, which is against the law. In Laos, the Labour Law stipulates that it is illegal to force children to work for more than 18 hours a day, and in hazardous areas such as construction, mining, jobs involving chemicals, alcohol substances and gambling, among others, as it can affect their physical and mental health.
