Combating child labour key to achieving quality education in Malawi -ILO
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Chief Technical Advisor in Malawi, Khalid Hassan, has said combating child labour is the key to the country’s achievement of quality education and reducing poverty.
He was speaking in Lilongwe on the sidelines of Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (YECE) launch of its Strategic Plan for 2014-18.
“Child labour should be a major issue in each and every youth program if we really want to achieve quality education for all and reduce
poverty levels.
“Government need to put in place laws and policy to eliminate tenancy issues in order to safeguard these vulnerable children,” he said.
The strategy’s priority issues are child rights and protection, sexual reproductive health and right and HIV and Youth Empowerment.
YECE Executive Director Lucky Mbewe said the objectives of the strategy aims at increasing community level interventions and
initiatives that respond to violence and abuse against children and increase uptake of quality and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services.
“In all this, we realise that child trafficking and labour affects children’s mental and physical health including their access to
education so our aim is to remove barriers that hinder effective and meaningful participation of young people in social and economic
development in Malawi,” he said.
Among others, the strategy’s theory of change will be lobbying and advocating for increased realization of children’s rights and access
to quality SRHR and youth empowerment services.