End child labour in Africa

Lazarus Sauti

Due to expansion of economy in the world, labour is highly needed to generate capital and to generate this capital and fulfil economic needs, some economic systems are using modern technologies.

However, not all economic systems and enterprises are capable of using advanced technology in the productions for higher productivity.

As a result, children enter the risk of being used as cheap labour since they are vulnerable due to many factors such as poverty and abuse.

To unravel child labour, the International Labour Organisation defines it as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and interferes with their schooling.

“It is worth to note that not all work done by children should be classified as child labour and needs to be eliminated. Whether or not particular forms of “work” can be called “child labour” depends on the child’s age, the type and hours of work performed the conditions under which it is performed,” further notes ILO.

Since third world countries are still to catch up with other developed nations in terms of technological advancements, they are leading in child labour in the form of child trafficking, sexual exploitation, domestic work, involvement in armed conflict, labour for commercial agriculture, petty trading, brick-laying, begging and gambling.

The United Nation International Children Emergency Fund states: “Many third world countries are leading in child labour. This is due to extreme poverty facing these countries… Children are employed in various sectors with low wages, nobody cares about their health and if they go to school or not.

“…Children are employed in industries and other machine workshop, with no any protective tools for their health. Sometimes they are not paid and fail to know where to report the matter,” explains UNICEF.

African countries need to join hands and fight child labour. As the scourge of child labour is outlawed in most countries but enforcement is lacking, law enforcement officers should be vigilant to ensure that existing laws and policies to protect children from being exposed to child labour are observed.

According to UNICEF, a comprehensive approach to addressing child labour involves effective legislative and enforcement systems and improved protection and response capacity.

More so, police officers in African countries should crack down on agencies involved in child trafficking and companies exploiting underage children.

Addressing poverty, the root factor in child labour, is another panacea to curb child labour. Thus, governments and microfinance organisations must give capital, business education and market access for poor households especially those headed by single mothers and old parents.

It is also critical for governments and like-minded partners in the fight against child labour to establish centres that support abused children who have been forced into labour and help them access legal aid besides medical, financial and counselling services.

Complimenting efforts by the United Nations through UNICEF is another way to reduce child labour. UNICEF reduces and prohibits child labour among the member states and as a result it has become a very good ambassadorial child organisation in the world.

The organisation collaborates with ILO and its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, the world’s largest technical cooperation programme on child labour, to raise awareness amongst parliamentarians and ensure that all children, including those vulnerable to exploitation, have access to education.

Since its inception in 1992, IPEC programmes in more than 75 countries have had considerable impact in both removing hundreds of thousands of children from the workplace, raising general awareness of this problem and building the capacity of institutions with responsibility for child labour.

Ending child labour requires a multi-stakeholder approach - every child has a dream that needs assistance from elders, brothers and sisters; children need strong organisations, government leaders, families and individuals to support them and stand for their rights.

The all important question that demands answers from all sides of Africa is, “If children continue to be abused, what kind of future generation are we creating?”

Honestly, my answer is simply that engaging children in labour will harm Africa and her citizenry.

Consequently, to eradicate this harm, African countries must respect the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention is there to protect children as it spells out the rights that African countries must ensure for their children and at the same time covers the whole spectrum of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and talks about the same principles of non-discrimination and participation.