A nation-wide survey on child labour started on Monday with a call on parents and guardians to co-operate with field workers deployed for the four-week exercise.

The survey, being conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service(GSS)in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, will gather information on children aged between five and 17 years in 500 enumeration areas.

Nana Akwasi Ango II, a Senior Statistician of the GSS said in an interview with the GNA that the information would be treated as highly confidential.

It will determine children engaged in economic and non- economic activities, the characteristics of parents and guardians and their perception of the use of children's time.

Nana Ango said the way the data would be published, would in on way identify the provider. "It will be disseminated in statistical aggregate, with no reference to any specific area or persons," he said.

Nana Ango said most of the 300 field workers who were recruited from the regional and district capitals were deployed over the weekend to begin the exercise on Monday in teams of 20 and 25. "A team of five each will be expected to cover 20 enumeration area on the average. In each area, the team will be expected to interview about 20 households," he said.

Nana Ango asked the public, not associate the exercise with any political party adding, "this is strictly a non- partisan exercise which needs to be carried out for use by policy makers and international bodies for Ghana's benefit."