Children as young as 13 are engaged in the drugs trade in the Indonesian capital and about four percent of all users are aged under 17, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said.

The findings are part of its survey of the five worst forms of child labour, which also cover the trafficking of children for prostitution in Java island and child labour in offshore fishing in North Sumatra, in gold mining in East Kalimantan and in the shoe industry in West Java.

The ILO said its survey, conducted with local universities and other groups, shows that children enter prostitution between the ages of 15 and 17. Parents and other relatives play a part in trafficking them.

It gave no figures. But the ILO in a report last month said more than 10,000 children aged under 18 work as prostitutes in five major cities in Indonesia.

In the shoe industry, "children aged 13 to 16 work long hours in cramped, dusty workshops," the ILO said in a statement. Often they are exposed to hazardous substances such as glues and leather dust.

Children aged 13 to 17 also work long hours in dangerous conditions in offshore fishing for wages of between 200,000-500,000 rupiah (24-61 dollars) a month.

Those working in East Kalimantan gold mines "are exposed to multiple hazards, such as cave-ins, (becoming) trapped in underground mines, exposure to dust and chemicals and long working hours," the ILO said. Diving for gold could cause nose and ear bleeding.

The UN agency said the Indonesian government is committed to eradicate the worst forms of child labour. A four-year programme would be launched this year, with its 4.5 million dollar budget coming from the United States and Germany.

The ILO said projects in the shoe industry and fishing had already made progress, with some 5,500 actual or potential child workers steered into informal education or other jobs since December 1999.