YOUNGSTERS from St Joseph's School, Horwich, met up with children from across the world with tales of appalling working conditions and exploitation.

Children from the Global March Against Child Labour talked to the pupils at a special meeting at Bolton Wanderer's Reebok Stadium where they also met with representatives from the sportswear company.

The 21 children from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iran, Indonesia, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, the Phillipines and Zambia are marching to Geneva where the International Labour Organisation will debate a UN convention to outlaw some of the worst forms of child labour. Among the marchers are 11-year-old Gwen Mudende from Zambia who sold home-made food on the street after her mother died and 17-year-old Cambodian, Chan Makara who worked as porter in Phnom Penh railway station from the age of nine. He lived on the streets where passers by would amuse themselves burning the soles of his feet with cigarette lighters to wake him up.

Rudi Simanjuntak, aged 13, from Indonesia worked as a shoe polisher earning 65p for a 12 hour day and Ronal Simanjuntak, aged 14, also worked a 12 hour day washing cars and scavenging.

The march is aimed at highlighting the plight of child workers across the world and the GMB union which is hosting the British leg of the march is urging companies to sign up to the Clinton Code of Practice which forbids the use of exploitative child labour in the manufacture of products.

Sportswear companies and football clubs have been criticised in the past for selling merchandise which has employed child labour.

But GMB Clothing and Textiles Organiser, Des Farrell praised Reebok, who formulated its own code of practice before signing up to the Clinton Code.

He said: "There is a very positive story coming from Bolton. Very often companies get caught out by a very long chain of sub-contractors who make their goods but Reebok has a very good code. We would like to see other companies following this lead."

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