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Most countries in the world have signed up to the idea that no child should work at all under a certain age \\u2013 but is this the best approach? This week Nicolle, a 17 year old from Peru, has been part of a delegation of child labourers visiting the UN to ask them to rethink their ban on child labour. She\\u2019s been working since she was 8 years old, and says not only did her family need the money she earned, but working brought her status and respect. Some charities and experts working with child labourers agree that there are safe forms of child work. They say non-hazardous work can allow children to help their families, gain life skills, and even pay for the school uniforms and equipment they need to stay in education. But the UN and other former child labourers disagree, saying an outright ban is the only way to protect children from exploitation. We ask whether it\\u2019s time to rethink the ban on child labour.

Contributors include:

Benjamin Smith \\u2013 Senior Officer for Child Labour, International Labour Organization\\nJo Boyden \\u2013 Professor of International Development, Oxford University\\nZulema Lopez \\u2013 former child labourer\\nKavita Ratna - Director of Advocacy and Fundraising, Concerned for Working Children

Presenter: Helena Merriman\\nProducer: Beth Sagar-Fenton

Image: Girls collecting firewood in Eritrea, 2004\\nCredit: Scott Wallace/Getty Images