HCM CITY — Child labour remains a great challenge for HCM City authorities although a wide range of measures have been taken to tackle children labour, especially in the informal sector of the economy, officials have said.

As an economic hub of the country, HCM City has received an influx of migrants from other provinces, according to Trần Thị Kim Thanh, an official at the city’s Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

Child labourers often came with their entire families and engaged in seasonal jobs, Thanh said at a workshop held on Friday in HCM City.

With its large population, the city struggled to ensure that all children were provided with schooling, health care and protection, she said.

However, it was difficult to offer assistance to children who were working illegally as they frequently moved from one place to another due to unstable seasonal jobs.

"Many children who work illegally have been identified and given assistance to attend school, but their families have turned down the help," she said.

According to Col Phan Mạnh Trường, deputy head of the Department of Criminal Police under the Ministry of Public Security, labour has harmful effects on children’s health and psychological development, and limits their school attendance, among other influences.

Child labour also puts them at risk of physical and sexual abuse, and trafficking.

In addition, unstable housing and jobs make it difficult to detect illegal child labour.

"Multi-stakeholder responses are needed to identify, monitor and respond to child labour," he added.

The city’s Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs is working with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to implement the Enhancing National Capacity to Prevent and Reduce Child Labour in Việt Nam (ENHANCE) project in four outlying districts in HCM City.

The project’s objective is to support efforts to prevent and reduce child labour. — VNS