Volunteers from Li Ka Shing Foundation have reported that a shoe factory in Foshan, Guangdong Province is now recruiting a large number of child laborers who are sent from the No.1 Vocational High School in Hepu, Guangxi Province.

Local media report that 148 students have been sent to this shoe factory. They have to work more than 12 hours a day under great pressure, but some of them have escaped, though more than 40 are still working there.

According to the statements of the children who left, the Hepu No.1 Vocational High School cheated them by offering free education and graduation certificates from junior high school without their needing to take part in the high school entrance exam. When they entered the school with an "intention fee" of RMB400, they were asked to have internships in the shoe factory. Many of them are younger than 16 years old, but the school provided false identification data to the factory.

A representative from the shoe factory says that it is none of their business whether the identification data provided by the school is true or false, and they only trust whatever proof they are given.

Labor security and supervision departments in Foshan say that they will pay close attention to this matter and carry out an investigation as soon as possible. If it is true that the shoe factory is recruiting child labor, local authorities say the factory will face serious punishment.

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