The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training kicked off a campaign on July 14 against child labour in the brick kiln business and in the agriculture industry in Siem Reap province’s Banteay Srey district.

The campaign is aimed at instructing inspectors and authorities on how to intervene by removing the children from dangerous and exploitative situations to prevent child labour as well as how to encourage their integration into a normal living situation afterwards.

Sdoeung Sar Socheta, secretary of state at the labour ministry, said at the campaign launch event that it was being done to raise awareness about child labour and show the causes and effects of it while highlighting the relevant policies and legal provisions that can be used to prevent it as well as specific actions to be taken against child labour at brick kilns and in the agriculture industry.

She said the campaign is meant to empower authorities in charge of inspections to prevent the crime of child labour use as well as to strengthen the surveillance system for monitoring child labour at brick kilns, schools and among the community and families.

“We must strengthen core intervention work to save children and ban forced child labour, especially at brick kilns and in the agriculture industry. We have to increase cooperation with relevant ministries, institutions and relevant partners to prevent the most serious form of child labour especially, which is forced labour.

“And we must increase awareness about this problem through this campaign to stop the worst forms of child labour including forced labour,” she said.