BANGKOK: Women and children are the most exploited workers in Asia's cities, both
in industrializing and low-income countries, a U.N. study says.
The study says women and children are to be found "in extreme exploitation marked
by long hours and harsh working conditions, physical and sexual abuse and critical
poverty."
The report was presented by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific.
At the meeting's conclusion, 36 countries signed a declaration of general guidelines
on easing these problems, including a recommendation that they enhance urban productivity
by removing regulatory constraints on efficient use of land, labor and financial
markets.
Significant numbers of working children are found in both the highest and lowest
income nations, the study says. - AP