A national program to abolish the worst forms of child labor by 2016 was approved by the Government at its meeting on Wednesday. The Government has asked relevant ministers, aimag governors, and Ulaanbaatar’s mayor to allocate funding in their budgets to implement the program.

A report on the progress of the implementation of the program will be submitted to the Government on the World Day Against Child Labor, which is annually observed on June 12.

According to statistical data, in 2006 and 2007 more than 71,000 children aged five to 17 worked in Mongolia, 89 percent of them in the agricultural sector. Sixteen percent, or 11,000 children, worked in harmful conditions, some for longer hours than are allowed by law.