Underage work force estimated at 60,000
An estimated 60,000 child workers are employed in Greece, according to International Labor Organization figures made public yesterday. Greece also shares one of the basic problems faced in combating child labor worldwide, namely pinpointing the exact number of youngsters aged 5-17 employed in the country. Many work as beggars in Greece’s biggest cities, often exploited by organized gangs ran by adults. Some 186 million children aged 5-14 are employed globally and another 59 million aged 15-17, according to the ILO, a United Nations agency. «Unfortunately, Greece is not immune to the shame of child labor,» PASOK Euro MP Myrsini Zorba told a press conference attended by Labor Minister Dimitris Reppas, who promised that the government would go ahead with a long-delayed action plan against child labor.
