AIDS and hunger have forced more than half a million Zambian children to quit school and take up often-hazardous jobs in farms and factories, the International Labor Organization said Monday. Some 800,000 children have been orphaned by the pandemic in the past 18 years. Many children are forced into labor because AIDS has killed their parents, turning them into breadwinners, said Chilufya Siwale, the ILO's program manager for child labor. "Some crush stones, while others work as domestic servants for more than 10 hours per day and are only paid $8 per month," said Siwale. "Zambian laws are weak and do not protect the rights of children. There are many children working in very poor and dangerous conditions despite the laws stipulating that children below 14 years should not be engaged in any form of employment," Siwale said. Hunger has exacerbated the child-labor problem, said ILO Country Project Coordinator Mpala Nkonkomalimba. The ILO is working with NGOs and Zambian authorities to teach older children skills such as bricklaying, carpentry and tailoring to help them get safer jobs. It is also trying to get younger children back into school.

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