’Child labour exploited’

Press, 31 May 1978, Page 8

’Child labour exploited’

NZPA-Reuter London The British Anti-Slavery Society has said that children as young as seven are working up to 72 hours a week for little or no pay in Moroccan factories making carpets for export to Western Europe and North America. A report compiled by a mission sent to Morocco by the London-based humanrights organisation was published this week. It investigated allegations that very young girls were being exploited as cheap labour to fuel Morocco’s booming exports of carpets to West Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Belgium, the United States, and Canada.

The mission visited 79 private factories and State centres in 17 Moroccan cities and towns last year. Its report said conditions in the private factories and workshops were generally poor and many of the children looked under-nourished and overworked. By contrast conditions in the Government centres were much better, it added. According to the report, the vast majority of the child workers under 12 in the private sector were ( classed as apprentices and paid little or nothing for their long hours of hard labour. Those who were paid received as little daily as the equivalent price of a loaf of; bread.