'More children being drawn back into world of work'

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WAKISO - More children are being denied a normal childhood and subjected to economic exploitation as a growing number are being drawn back into the world of child labour.

The Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Office for Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, Caroline Mugalla, says there is a decline in efforts made to end child labour across the countries.

“The figures are not good, we are actually rolling back what we have been able to achieve in the previous years,” she said.

Mugalla made the remarks on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, in Entebbe while closing a three-day media training on Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa (ACCEL) project that drew Journalists from Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda.

The Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Office for Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, Caroline Mugalla, says there is a decline in efforts made to end child labour across the countries. (Courtesy Photo)

In Uganda for instance, official figures indicate 18% of children between five to 17 years are involved in child labour.

Child labour affects approximately 2 million children often engaged in exploitative and hazardous work.

The children are mostly employed in agriculture, construction, mining, manufacturing, and domestic service, as well as commercial sex exploitation and street begging. They are denied good health, an education and a normal fulfilled childhood.

The Assistant Commissioner of Labour and Industrial Relations in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in Uganda, Apollo Onzoma reiterated that child labour is not only a violation of fundamental rights it also undermines sustainable development.

“If we don’t address matters of child labour, which labour are we looking at in future to address matters of sustainable development in the nation?” he asked.

“There will be no required skills, experts, because all children will have been engaged in activities which do not develop them as future human resources,” Onzoma warned.

He says a lot more still needs to be done by all parties in the fight against child labour including civil society, labour unions, employers organisations and media to reach and engage parents, teachers, as well as communities to find the best approach to end child labour.