In the lead-up to World Day Against Child Labour, LICADHO is releasing a two-part digital photo essay series highlighting linkages between child labour and issues such as poverty, school drop-out rates and land eviction. The first video will be released on Monday, June 9 and the second will be released on Tuesday, June 10. LICADHO will issue a full statement on June 11, the day before World Day Against Child Labour which officially falls on June 12.

Prum Dina, 14, dropped out of school when she was 12 to work at a shoe factory. She was later dismissed for being too young, but only after she had been working for over a year. In the shoe factory, Prum Dina was exposed to harmful conditions. Her responsibilities included handling glue, making leather, and sewing. She now attends school and is studying to be a Chinese translator. She hopes to work as a translator at the same factory so that she can earn a high salary and help pay for her mother’s medical treatment. A 2013 ILO survey found that about 48 percent of child laborers in Cambodia, including those working in hazardous conditions, have dropped out of, or have never attended, school.