Malawi govt combats child labour for a better life
Principle Secretary for Labour and Manpower Development, Patrick Kabambe has said uneducated people have little potential to be productive or engage in innovations necessary for national development.
Speaking during the official opening of the Child Labour in Agriculture Roundtable at the Bingu International Conference centre, Kabambe said that most families occupied in child labour are those in a poverty trap and they fall deep into poverty so are their children.
“Since their children cannot attend to school they fall deeper into poverty and their children will follow suit. This is a sad situation and we need to work hard to break that cycle of poverty”, he said.
He added that child labour is a serious violation of the rights of children as enshrined in the Constitution of Malawi, the Employment Act and international instruments including the Convention on the rights of the child: child labour results in exploitation and abuse of children.
He said: “As the Ministry responsible for coordinating measures to combat child labour, I am pleased to say that the 2012 Conference Outcome document has greatly informed the choices of interventions and strategies for combating child labour in the country particularly in the Agriculture sector”.
Concurring with the PS, Country Director for Save the Children, Matthew Pickard, it is all of our efforts to eliminate child labour
“The convection of the rights of the child is the key instrument in the effort to eliminate the worst forms of child labour as per found the child labor in 182.Convetion right to the child help set international standards but clearly defining child labor and its nature and how to address it,” said Pickard.
Pickard also said that the result convention of the rights of the child strengthens existing efforts to combat child labour by helping to deal effectively with the complexity of its determinants and its root causes.
“Child labor emerges the realisation of the fundamental rights of children and their families, children are not able to enjoy full protection against exploitation and abuse because of child labour. Children have a right to health, education, recreation, to be protected from harmful work and exploitation.
“if children are involved in child labour, their rights are compromised. It is our duty to ensure the realization of these rights,” added Pickard.
This year’s theme is based on ‘Taking stock of the 2012 Malawi child labour conference and way forward’.
The conference is funded by the Eliminating Child labour in tobacco Growing foundation (ECLT) strives to make life better for children in tobacco- growing communities.–Mana
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