Children Exposed to Hazardous Work in Malawi

By Madalitso Kateta

Children in Malawi continue to be engaged in hazardous work as the country currently has a poor social security system due to high poverty levels and limited understanding of effects of child labour on the children.

The revelation comes in the work of a recent resolution passed by civil society in the country at a national child labour conference organised by child centred organisation, plan Malawi.

According to the resolution the country has continued to register increasing child labour violations as presently district labour offices that were supposed to monitor the problem on the ground are under resourced to handle child labour from a preventative perspective.

With an increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic, many children have been going into hazardous work.

Despite efforts by stakeholders to withdraw these children from hazardous work environments the efforts have not been fruitful as they have not been equipped with skills for rehabilitation in their respective homes.

"There is need for political will and increased concerted efforts by both government and other civil society organisations to addressing child labour in the country such as the creation of a national policy and code of conduct on child work, development of child labour inspection programs and establishment of a national network on child labour," recommended delegates to the conference.

The delegates said violations of child labour rights are not only a child rights issue but a broader human rights concern. 

"We are guided by the best interests of the child and the various instruments such as the convention on the rights of the child, the African charter on the rights and welfare of the child and the ILO conventions 138 and 182 on the minimum entry age into employment and the worst forms of child labour to which Malawi is signatory," reads the resolution.

Malawian children are currently not equipped with life skills that can enable them to stand for themselves and delegates to the conference recommended children, victims of child labour in particular with life skills knowledge and resources that can make them advocates of change in the wake of the problem.

Meanwhile the Malawi Law Commission has been called to speed up the ongoing debate on child trafficking bill to ensure that children in the country are protected from hazardous labour.