24 Jun 2024

Government is committed to ending child labour especially in the agriculture sector where it is said to be common, says acting Commissioner of Labour, Ms Veronica Moloko.

In her presentation on the topic; A Call for United Action Towards the Elimination of Child Labour at the third annual labour conference in Gaborone on Friday, Ms Moloko said children were the future therefore everyone must work towards eliminating challenges they faced including child labour.

She urged special attention to the worse forms of child labour such as child trafficking, use of children in illicit activities, commercial sex, sexual exploitation and working excessively especially in the agricultural sector.

Ms Moloko also appealed to the labour market and care takers to desist from engaging under age children in hazardous work, adding that the world must live up to the expectation of the annual world day of eliminating child labour recently commemorated under the theme: Lets Act on our Commitments and End Child Labour.

She said statistics from UNICEF estimated that about 160 million children globally were subjected to some form of child labour at the beginning of 2020 with additional nine million at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19.

She said post COVID-19, statistics revealed an increase in incidents of child labour during the period when the pandemic was rampant around the world with nearly one in 10 children around the world being engaged in some form of child labour activity.

Ms Moloko said some countries were now experiencing child labour especially in the ICT sector as children were used to work behind the scene, for long hours and even without a break.

Quoting the International Labour Organisation, Ms Moloko said employment creation and social protection were among the four pillars under decent work environment, adding that while trying to create employment, the labour market must not promote child labour.

Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs permanent secretary, Mr Jimmy Opelo said all must take part in ending child labour, saying failure to do would leave the future of the country in a precarious situation.

He said the labour market must be enlightened on child labour issues.

As such, he thanked the Institute for Labour and Employment Studies for organising the labour conference and consider child labour as one of the issues that needed attention. ENDS