CHILD labour is an issue which has been in Fiji for a long time but people are gradually becoming aware of its illegality and disadvantage to children who are forced to or involved in it.
Although it is hard to give a precise definition of child labour, the International Labour Organisation defines it as any kind of work which hinders a child from going to school to complete his or her education and work which prevents a child from his moral or spiritual development.
Some of the worst forms of child labour globally are drug trafficking, pornography and child prostitution.
Fiji is one of the countries where child labour has existed and one of the worst forms of child labour here is child prostitution, which is not to a great extent, but it does exist.
ILO director Abu Zakaria said there was a difference between a child working to earn his pocket money and a child working to earn an income for his family.
Mr Zakaria said children who worked after school at home or in the supermarket were not counted as child labourers but children who were not allowed to attend school and made to work when they were supposed to be in school are counted as child labourers.
"If children work to develop their skills or earn pocket-money after school and it doesn't tamper their education, then it is not child labour," said Mr Zakaria.
"The ILO is not against children working but they are against children working when they should be in school studying."
Fiji has developed its laws against child labour along the conventions of the ILO where every child has a right to education and children above the age of 16 years are allowed to engage in the work force.
The ILO has organised a number of workshops and training for stakeholders where the issue of child labour was emphasised.
Mr Zakaria said the purpose of the training workshop was to equip the training of trainers with adequate information and tools to take the message of stopping child labour to the community level.
"The ILO is in the process of developing a system of following up the activities of training of trainers.
"It is also a bit early to assess the success of people who have participated in the workshop.
"We do not have any latest statistics on hand however, we are in the process of finalising a project proposal on child labour.
"Among other things, the project will conduct a nationwide survey to determine the extent and type of child labour in Fiji and Papua New Guinea."
Save the Children Fiji is one organisation which is working closely with the ILO on the issue.
The executive director of Save the Children Fiji, Irshad Ali, said it was the responsibility of any parent to see that his or her child attended school and received an education.
"It is also a problem with our education system because there is no means of tracking students and monitor them to check whether they are getting an education," said Mr Ali.
He said it was time to look seriously at legislation to enforce compulsory education so that children were able to receive an education.
Save the Children had released a report where it stated poverty was the main cause forcing children into child labour.
Mr Ali said there was a great need for parents to change their attitude regarding the importance of children going to school.
"Technology is catching up on us and things are becoming complex now. Even the Liquefied Pressure Gas taxis that are being used are creating some difficulties for local automotive mechanics to repair."
He said every child had a right to education and it was the responsibility of every parent to see that his child received an education.
"By the time the child grows up, the whole mechanics of the automotive arena will have changed and because he does not have the basic education, he will find it hard to cope."
He said the issue of child labour had to be looked at in unison with issues such as poverty, education and the enforcement of legislations which require children to receive an education.
He said the main problem was that people failed to see beyond the problem.
"We need to look at the magnitude of the problem in Fiji and work together to find solutions.
"There are people who are genuinely concerned for the welfare of their children but there are those who are exploiting their children and ruining their future."
He said organisations such as the ILO were organising programs to create awareness of the issue of child labour but the issues never seemed to reach those at the grassroots level.
Mr Zakaria admitted there was a need to spread the message of how wrong it was to engage children in child labour to the grassroots level.
"But compared to last year and the year before, people have become aware of what child labour is and the fact that it is illegal and their children have a right to have an education," said Mr Zakaria.
He said the rate of school dropouts was also a factor which influenced the number of children who were involved in child labour in Fiji.
He said such issues had to be addressed first in order to curb the number of children being involved in child labour.