S China companies confirmed to have hired child laborers

Two companies based in Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province have been confirmed to have hired nine child laborers, local authorities said.

The subdistrict office of Fuyong Street in Baoan District announced on Monday that Shenzhen Click Technology Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Datlink Electronics Co., Ltd. were proven to have employed nine child laborers under the age of 16, and authorities are verifying the age and identities of another 20 suspected child laborers.

Local media reported at the end of 2013 that Shenzhen Click Technology Co., Ltd. was suspected of hiring dozens of child laborers from Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

According to the media report, the children, mostly girls, had to work 12 hours a day and earned a monthly salary of only 2000 yuan (330 U.S. dollars).

The children have already been sent back to their homes.

The human resource bureau of Baoshan District ordered the two companies to correct their practices, and fined them 10,000 yuan (1653 U.S. dollars) and 35,000 yuan (5785.5 U.S. dollars) respectively.