Digital tool to monitor child labour in agriculture fields launched

The gender ministry has launched a digital system to monitor child labour, especially in agricultural fields, according to a press statement shared by the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The development is based on reports that child labour remains a global challenge, with an estimated 160 million children engaged in labour worldwide, of which 70% work in the agriculture sector.

For Uganda, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) reported an increase in child labour from 14% in 2016/17 to 39.5% in 2021, excluding household chores.

According to FAO’s country representative, Antonio Querido, the intervention is based on outcomes from the May 2024 to February 2025 pilot phase of the FAO’s DIGICHILD Index in Uganda, adopting a participatory approach to ensure local ownership and effectiveness.

During the consultations, stakeholders singled out coffee farms, sugarcane and livestock sectors, including fisheries, which employ more children.

To track these children, FAO and the ministry are pioneering a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based approach to enhance child labour monitoring.

The DIGICHILD Index assesses child labour risk using indicators such as poverty, food insecurity, school accessibility and climate-related factors.

“By offering broader territorial coverage and predictive capabilities, it enables governments to develop targeted and timely policies to combat child labour in agrifood systems,” Querido explained.

He added that beyond policy, the Index supports private sector efforts to enhance transparency in supply chains, ensuring compliance with due diligence requirements.

“It's predictive capacity also shifts efforts from reactive responses to proactive prevention, helping to address child labour before it occurs.  The Index will contribute to national surveys on child labour and labour markets, guiding data collection priorities,” he said.

Bernard Amuriat, the assistant commissioner for the Labour Inspectorate at the gender ministry, emphasized the importance of data-driven strategies in addressing child labour.

“Despite numerous policy interventions and the adoption of the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Child Labor, this initiative will strengthen prevention and protection efforts through data-driven and survivor-informed policy responses,” he said.