ZAMBIA will tomorrow join other countries around the world in commemorating the World Day Against Child Labour.
This is a significant day that draws attention to the many issues affecting children, but more importantly, the appropriate space they need in order to grow up as healthy and productive adults.
I am attracted to the theme for this year’s commemoration, which is ‘No to Child Labour – Yes to Quality Education’, because this is precisely what should be encouraged in any civilised society.
There are strong forces of social and cultural norms at the centre of child labour as many communities argue that children must participate in the running of homes through different chores.
However, it is the sort of tasks children perform that need to be reflected upon deeply.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that considerable differences exist between the many kinds of work children do.
Some are difficult and demanding, while others are more hazardous and even morally wrong.
The term ‘child labour’ is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and which is harmful to physical and mental development.
According to ILO, not all work done by children should be classified as child labour that is to be targeted for elimination.
Children’s or adolescents’ participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development, or interfere with their schooling, is generally regarded as something positive.
This includes activities such as helping their parents around the home, assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays.
These kinds of activities contribute to children’s development and to the welfare of their families.
They provide them with skills and experience, and help prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life.
However, there is work that dehumanises children and deprives them of opportunities associated with a normal childhood.
Many children are increasingly involved in stone crushing, burdensome farm work and other strenuous duties which exert much pressure on their health and physical well-being.
Consider, too, a new phenomenon involving children being taken out of villages (or poor environments) by people promising to take them to school, but they end up as domestic workers.
This is what Chana Chelemu-Jere, the ILO national coordinator, domestic work project – Zambia, describes as a new form of internal human trafficking.
According to a 2013 study supported by ILO on the profile of domestic workers in Zambia, of the 1,017, 236 elementary workers in the informal sector, 97,652 were domestic workers aged 10 years and older.
During a national workshop on domestic work hosted by the organisation from May 27-28, 2015 in Siavonga, in southern Zambia, Ms Jere said many children are stuck in domestic work and cannot do anything about their situations since they are powerless.
The workshop was officially opened by Labour Permanent Secretary Trevor Kaunda, who was represented by Labour Commissioner Cecilia Kamanga.
Child domestic work is a general reference to children’s work in the domestic work sector in the home of a third party or employer.
Child labour in domestic work refers to situations where domestic work is performed by children below the relevant minimum age in hazardous conditions or in servitude.
In Zambia, ILO is providing technical support to the domestic work sector through a project entitled ‘Integrated Actions for Improving Working Conditions for Domestic Workers’.
The project aims to strengthen capacities of government, workers’ and employers’ organisations, and governance institutions to assess, design and implement effective policies, laws and programmes concerning wages and earnings, working time and other conditions of work.
The most recent global estimates suggest some 120 million children between the ages of five and 14 are involved in child labour, with boys and girls in this age group almost equally affected.
This persistence of child labour is rooted in poverty and lack of decent work for adults, lack of social protection, and a failure to ensure that all children are attending school through to the legal minimum age for admission to employment.
It is, therefore, heartening to have the 2015 World Day Against Child Labour focus on the importance of quality education as an important step in tackling child labour.
ILO indicates that many child labourers do not attend school. Others combine school and work but often to the detriment of their education.
If they lack adequate education and skills, former child labourers are more likely to end up in poorly paid, insecure work or to be unemployed.
As a consequence, there is a high probability that their children will end up in child labour. Breaking this cycle of disadvantage is a global challenge and education has a key role to play.
In the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations set the target of ensuring that by this year all boys and girls complete a full course of primary education. That, to a larger extent, has not been achieved, in Zambia and other countries in Africa.
Recent UNESCO data on school enrollment shows that 58 million children of primary school age and 63 million adolescents of junior secondary school age are still not enrolled in school. Many of those who are enrolled are not attending school on a regular basis.
As the international community reviews reasons for the failure to reach the targets, it is clear that the persistence of child labour remains a barrier to progress on education and development.
If the problem of child labour is ignored, or if laws against it are not adequately enforced, children who should be in school will remain working instead.
I agree that to make progress, national and local action is required to identify and reach out to those in child labour.
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(This column is an initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. For comments or questions, email info@mlss.gov.zm or niza12001@yahoo.com)