Thousands of Haitian children leave every year to try their luck in the Dominican Republic, a substantially more developed country. Extreme poverty, despair and very limited access to education are at the root of most of this emigration. Those crossing the border illegally are prey to robbery, sexual abuse and murder.

Work in mines, sexual exploitation, domestic labour, gang recruitment... Colombia's disadvantaged children run a high risk of being dragged into the worst forms of child labour. The national trade union centre, CGT, is working to mitigate this risk through education and awareness raising.

In India and Nepal, several unions have seen a spectacular increase in membership levels following the creation of schools for children working in brick kilns. They have managed to negotiate better wages as a result.

Thousands of children have been able to escape from domestic work, thanks to an action programme launched by a Tanzanian trade union. The programme may gain fresh impetus if an international standard on domestic work is adopted. Samuel Grumiau, a journalist specializing in trade union matters, sends us this account from the United Republic of Tanzania.

Now, domestic work is just a bad memory for Sara, a Moroccan girl who was able to return to school thanks to action by a teachers’ trade union.

Sri Lanka has for decades been torn apart by the conflict between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers. The fighting has intensified over recent months. Members of a Tamil teaching union give personal accounts of life and work in the most dangerous areas of the country.

Hundreds of children work in the production of shoes and clothing exported from Albania. The prices imposed by international buyers go some way towards explaining this exploitation.