At least 49 of Bermuda's children between the ages of 12 and 15 work 20 or more hours a week, according to the latest census.

Child labour statistics for the age group were gathered by the Census Office for the first time when the count took place in the summer of 2000.

"Reporting to have had a job during the week preceding the Census were 370 children of that age group who, of course, also were attending school," says the report which was tabled in the House of Assembly last week.

Equally distributed along gender lines, most of the child workers (64 percent) were black, as compared to 21 percent who were white and 15 percent of mixed and other races.

Black children also worked more hours than other races. Of the 77 white child workers, 48 worked less than ten hours a week, 16 worked between ten and 19 hours and ten worked more than 20 hours.

Among the 238 black children, 133 worked less than ten hours, 67 worked ten to 19 hours and 32 were on the job for at least 20 hours. Six of those canvassed, and three white children, did not state their hours.

In the third racial category, which combined mixed race people and other races, 34 worked less than ten hours, 12 did 10 to 19 hours and seven worked at least 20 hours.

Under the terms of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child Governments are obliged to protect children from engaging in work that may interfere with their education and to set standards such as hours of work and minimum working age.

Other child centred statistics collected by the Census Office focused on child care and education. The report revealed little change in child care arrangements for the Island's 4,265 youngest since 1991.

"In 2000 54 percent of children aged zero to five years who were not attending primary school were cared for during working hours at nurseries, daycare centres or preschools," the report states.

"Of these children, more than a quarter were in Government facilities (a decrease of seven percentage points since 1988). The proportion of children who were cared for in their own homes had risen from 23 percent to 26 percent by 2000. This was attributable to an increase in the incidence of parents themselves tending to their children. The option of having one's child cared for in another private home was being selected 20 percent of the time, as compared to 16 percent in 1988."

Non-Bermudian children were three times more likely than Bermudian children to be cared for at home by a parent, the report continued.

Of the 913 non-Bermudian children in the age group, 46 percent (417) were cared for at home by a parent, as compared to 14 percent (459) of the Island's 3,346 Bermudian children.

But 41 percent of Bermudian children not in primary school were being sent to private day care centres, as compared to 30 percent of non Bermudian children.

Broken down by race, 62 percent of black children five years old or younger were cared for during working hours at nurseries, daycare centres or preschools, as compared to 42 percent of white children.

"Twenty two percent of black children were in Government facilities, while this was true for six percent of white children in this group. Only one in ten black children was looked after by a parent or guardian in the child's own home, as opposed to three in ten white children," the report states.

"The child care arrangements for children of mixed racial groups and other races were similar to those of the white population."