CHILD LABOUR, WAKE UP ZAMBIA
Posted by Bapeace | Filed under Uncategorized
By Mwenya Mukuka
One of the major problems that are affecting our society and the world today is child labour.
Child labour can be seen as children below the working age being forced or compelled due to circumstances to work at the expense of enjoying basic privileges such as education, good health and protection. Child labour in present times has increased tremendously in the developing countries including Zambia . Even the developed countries are not left out of this problem. They have their fair share of it. Most of these victims of child labour in Zambian society end up as hawkers (Igo igo), workers in sand weaning sites and stone quarries which is very prominent in or near the city of Lusaka and other parts of the country and many other products or items one can think of especially in Lusaka where one can see a lot of children trading in all kinds items including groundnuts, cold water in polythene bags and other items at bus stations which they do not produce themselves. Others are trafficked from rural areas for a promise of good education but end up working as house maids where in many cases are abused emotionally, sexually and also face physical cruelty. These children in many cases find themselves in awkward situation where they cannot tell anyone for they are locked up wall fences and months at end are never paid the salaries they were promised, and on the best education promised, it never come to pass. Without the timely intervention of compassionate individuals or some NGOs, almost all or some of these victims end up as armed robbers and prostitutes thus posing serious health hazards and dangers to their lives.In Zambian society a lot of factors contribute to the problem of child labour with the major one being poverty and family disintegration.‘Increased number of broken homes in recent times have resulted in single parenthood. Under such conditions, the single parent may not be financially sound to cater for a child or children resulting in sending them on the streets.’ Boy Empowerment International (BEI) founder Matildah Chikopela Lisita observed in an interview.In this case a child is sent to out onto the street or elsewhere to labour or work to earn a living and to pay for his / her school fees if the child is desirous to be in school otherwise he / she is denied of basic education. The practice of marrying two or more, especially in the rural areas has a bearing on this though it is slowly diminishing, the notion of some people is that, the more children one has the wealthier he/she is. So if a person has a lot of children, it becomes difficult for parents to provide them with the basic needs are compelling these poor and innocent children to engage themselves in all kinds of odd and exploitative jobs to keep them surviving. Rose (not real name) of twelve years sells Fruits at Lusaka ’s City market. According to her, they are six in the family and the parents are not in a good job to provide for their basic needs. For this reason she has been asked by the parents to sell the fruits so as to earn a little money to support herself and the family.Some of the items produced and sold by such kid of children to earn a living include table napkins, ice water, groundnuts and at times they accompany their mothers who go round doing laundry in low density areas.Parents have a major role to play in ensuring the proper upbringing of their wards and also the provision of shelter, clothing and food. However due to financial constraint, parents send their children and wards to sell on the street in order to bring money home.‘It is very disheartening to see children of school going age selling all kinds of items often under the scorching sun, the rain and cold. These children who are sent to the street to sell become victims of sexual harassment, rape and drug abuse and some are even knocked by careless drivers.’ Said Viola Kamutumwa former Fountain of Hope director at a workshop recently to form a Lusaka District Child Labour Committees.Lubasi (not real name) is now a victim of child labour. His story began when his father divorced his mother. His mother, burdened with depression and debts abandoned her son to his fate. At the age of eleven was on his own. He managed to travel from Chililabombwe to the capital Lusaka . He spent the night in the corridors of shops along Freedom way and naturally found himself in the company of other street boys. Now, due to irresponsible parenthood, and as well as poverty Lubasi found himself as a porter at Soweto market.Lubasi is also a victim of sexual violence. ‘Have had sex with women several times. They come to pick us and give us money’. When asked whether he was able to identify the place of women, he refused saying they are taken to lodges.‘We don’t go to their places but I can just identify one if seen in the day’.Further questioning on whether he had enjoyed sex. ‘You get so tired because they don’t want you to stop’He mentioned that pick up points by these women is Manda Hill foot bridge, Simoson traffic lights, Post office and many other places.I wonder what some women would say to this because a lot of men have been so on their feet condemning men (sugar daddies) who go out with school girls in this age of HIV.Child labour is such a problem that people now do not pay much attention to or even recognise it as such because it is seen all over the place every day and for this reason people see it as normal but in the real sense this is not the case but rather a problem. A situation where under aged children are compelled due to circumstances beyond their control to do odd and difficult jobs just to earn a living is truly a situation to be given a serious thought. Recently at a workshop to form Lusaka province child labour committees, Provincial Permanent Secretary ambassador Susan Sikateta called on stakeholders to eradicate child labour.‘Child labour should be eradicated in Lusaka province. This province should be a model to others because child labour will destroy future labour in the nation’ she said.‘The formation of Child labour committees in Lusaka province and other towns in the nation will help communities identify children involved in child labour. This should call for a selfless passion if efforts of improving lives of children are to be realised in communities if this vice is to be eradicated in the nation.’ Assistant Child labour commissioner Chola Chabala said. He said for passion among labour officials was cardinal in order to effectively address the complex issue of child labour. Still looking at the showcase of Lubasi, there are several conditions and situations, which contributes to such unfortunate scenario where children find themselves in labour when they are not supposed to. Some parents’ responsibility towards their children stops as soon as they realise that they can be on their own regardless of their age. Some illiterate fathers believe that since children inherit matrimonially, they are bone fide properties of the mothers so they (mothers) have it as a duty to cater for these kids till they come of age. Such fathers do not care what these children do for a living. Now if the mother’s financial position is not strong enough to support these children, they resort to any kind of labour if they fail to get some help from elsewhere.”I was 12 years old when my mother asked me to stop school so that I can be accompanying her to sell so that I can earn for food and sometimes for clothes.’ Said 17 year old Joseph now selling DVDs at town center market, some of his friends graduated from the ZNS camps.He told this writer, he did not want to go to ZNS because some people instilled fear in him that they will be thrown in the ‘den’ of lions in national parks because government did not want children on the streets.Though many NGOs have come up to address child labour by putting up various interventions the vice has continued to reach high levels.Are these NGOs doing it right? What could be the solution to this? And indeed which way can Zambia take.The formation of Child Labour Committees in communties is a welcome development. The good part is that it will be working right in the communities and identify children that are involved in labour.Hope for Africa international director Dr. Charles Mwape in a telephone interview told this writer that family reintegration is cardinal if the problem is to be over come. ‘We should make sure families get back to helping each other, by that, children wont be on the streets and indeed child labour’ ‘Children are getting involved in labour mostly due to failure by the families to provide’ Dr. Mwape said.
One of the major problems that are affecting our society and the world today is child labour.
Child labour can be seen as children below the working age being forced or compelled due to circumstances to work at the expense of enjoying basic privileges such as education, good health and protection. Child labour in present times has increased tremendously in the developing countries including Zambia . Even the developed countries are not left out of this problem. They have their fair share of it. Most of these victims of child labour in Zambian society end up as hawkers (Igo igo), workers in sand weaning sites and stone quarries which is very prominent in or near the city of Lusaka and other parts of the country and many other products or items one can think of especially in Lusaka where one can see a lot of children trading in all kinds items including groundnuts, cold water in polythene bags and other items at bus stations which they do not produce themselves. Others are trafficked from rural areas for a promise of good education but end up working as house maids where in many cases are abused emotionally, sexually and also face physical cruelty. These children in many cases find themselves in awkward situation where they cannot tell anyone for they are locked up wall fences and months at end are never paid the salaries they were promised, and on the best education promised, it never come to pass. Without the timely intervention of compassionate individuals or some NGOs, almost all or some of these victims end up as armed robbers and prostitutes thus posing serious health hazards and dangers to their lives.In Zambian society a lot of factors contribute to the problem of child labour with the major one being poverty and family disintegration.‘Increased number of broken homes in recent times have resulted in single parenthood. Under such conditions, the single parent may not be financially sound to cater for a child or children resulting in sending them on the streets.’ Boy Empowerment International (BEI) founder Matildah Chikopela Lisita observed in an interview.In this case a child is sent to out onto the street or elsewhere to labour or work to earn a living and to pay for his / her school fees if the child is desirous to be in school otherwise he / she is denied of basic education. The practice of marrying two or more, especially in the rural areas has a bearing on this though it is slowly diminishing, the notion of some people is that, the more children one has the wealthier he/she is. So if a person has a lot of children, it becomes difficult for parents to provide them with the basic needs are compelling these poor and innocent children to engage themselves in all kinds of odd and exploitative jobs to keep them surviving. Rose (not real name) of twelve years sells Fruits at Lusaka ’s City market. According to her, they are six in the family and the parents are not in a good job to provide for their basic needs. For this reason she has been asked by the parents to sell the fruits so as to earn a little money to support herself and the family.Some of the items produced and sold by such kid of children to earn a living include table napkins, ice water, groundnuts and at times they accompany their mothers who go round doing laundry in low density areas.Parents have a major role to play in ensuring the proper upbringing of their wards and also the provision of shelter, clothing and food. However due to financial constraint, parents send their children and wards to sell on the street in order to bring money home.‘It is very disheartening to see children of school going age selling all kinds of items often under the scorching sun, the rain and cold. These children who are sent to the street to sell become victims of sexual harassment, rape and drug abuse and some are even knocked by careless drivers.’ Said Viola Kamutumwa former Fountain of Hope director at a workshop recently to form a Lusaka District Child Labour Committees.Lubasi (not real name) is now a victim of child labour. His story began when his father divorced his mother. His mother, burdened with depression and debts abandoned her son to his fate. At the age of eleven was on his own. He managed to travel from Chililabombwe to the capital Lusaka . He spent the night in the corridors of shops along Freedom way and naturally found himself in the company of other street boys. Now, due to irresponsible parenthood, and as well as poverty Lubasi found himself as a porter at Soweto market.Lubasi is also a victim of sexual violence. ‘Have had sex with women several times. They come to pick us and give us money’. When asked whether he was able to identify the place of women, he refused saying they are taken to lodges.‘We don’t go to their places but I can just identify one if seen in the day’.Further questioning on whether he had enjoyed sex. ‘You get so tired because they don’t want you to stop’He mentioned that pick up points by these women is Manda Hill foot bridge, Simoson traffic lights, Post office and many other places.I wonder what some women would say to this because a lot of men have been so on their feet condemning men (sugar daddies) who go out with school girls in this age of HIV.Child labour is such a problem that people now do not pay much attention to or even recognise it as such because it is seen all over the place every day and for this reason people see it as normal but in the real sense this is not the case but rather a problem. A situation where under aged children are compelled due to circumstances beyond their control to do odd and difficult jobs just to earn a living is truly a situation to be given a serious thought. Recently at a workshop to form Lusaka province child labour committees, Provincial Permanent Secretary ambassador Susan Sikateta called on stakeholders to eradicate child labour.‘Child labour should be eradicated in Lusaka province. This province should be a model to others because child labour will destroy future labour in the nation’ she said.‘The formation of Child labour committees in Lusaka province and other towns in the nation will help communities identify children involved in child labour. This should call for a selfless passion if efforts of improving lives of children are to be realised in communities if this vice is to be eradicated in the nation.’ Assistant Child labour commissioner Chola Chabala said. He said for passion among labour officials was cardinal in order to effectively address the complex issue of child labour. Still looking at the showcase of Lubasi, there are several conditions and situations, which contributes to such unfortunate scenario where children find themselves in labour when they are not supposed to. Some parents’ responsibility towards their children stops as soon as they realise that they can be on their own regardless of their age. Some illiterate fathers believe that since children inherit matrimonially, they are bone fide properties of the mothers so they (mothers) have it as a duty to cater for these kids till they come of age. Such fathers do not care what these children do for a living. Now if the mother’s financial position is not strong enough to support these children, they resort to any kind of labour if they fail to get some help from elsewhere.”I was 12 years old when my mother asked me to stop school so that I can be accompanying her to sell so that I can earn for food and sometimes for clothes.’ Said 17 year old Joseph now selling DVDs at town center market, some of his friends graduated from the ZNS camps.He told this writer, he did not want to go to ZNS because some people instilled fear in him that they will be thrown in the ‘den’ of lions in national parks because government did not want children on the streets.Though many NGOs have come up to address child labour by putting up various interventions the vice has continued to reach high levels.Are these NGOs doing it right? What could be the solution to this? And indeed which way can Zambia take.The formation of Child Labour Committees in communties is a welcome development. The good part is that it will be working right in the communities and identify children that are involved in labour.Hope for Africa international director Dr. Charles Mwape in a telephone interview told this writer that family reintegration is cardinal if the problem is to be over come. ‘We should make sure families get back to helping each other, by that, children wont be on the streets and indeed child labour’ ‘Children are getting involved in labour mostly due to failure by the families to provide’ Dr. Mwape said.
3 Responses to “CHILD LABOUR, WAKE UP ZAMBIA”
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Dr Charles Mwape Says:
October 30th, 2007 at 3:00 pmKeep it up Mwenya and Hope for Africa International will ad your blog to our site and ensure that a lot of people dealing with Children visit your blog
Dr Charles Mwape
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Bapeace Says:
November 4th, 2007 at 9:23 amDr Charles Mwape,thanks for your comment
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Anonymous Says:
May 19th, 2008 at 4:16 pmI think that Child Labor is wrong. If you force a child to work under age and nobody says anything then your country is not a nation.
