By Isaac Zulu
Media Network on Children’s Rights (MNCR) executive director Henry Kabwe says the number of young people being involved in illegal mining activities is a wakeup call for the government to address the challenge of child labour in the country, describing it as a time bomb.
Kabwe, in an interview with Daily Revelation, attributed the high number of young people being engaged in illegal mining activities to the high youth unemployment levels prevailing in the country.
“The issue of high unemployment levels is a serious matter. Like late president Levy Mwanawasa said 20 years ago, the high unemployment levels prevailing in the country is a time bomb. The same is what is leading to child labour in illegal mining activities. This engagement of young people in illegal mining activities is putting the lives of youths at risk. And like I have said, this is a wakeup call for the government to put in place drastic measures to address the challenge of child labour and the engagement of young people in illegal mining activities,” Kabwe explained.
He said the government should not relax on this score, but adopt a multi sectorial approach to the fight against child labour.
Kabwe said the laws relating to curbing child labour in Zambia are sufficient, but that what is hampering the fight against the scourge is lack of effective enforcement of the legal framework on the same.
“The laws are sufficient to curb child labour in the country. But lack of effective enforcement of laws on the scourge of child labour is what is hampering the fight against the vice,” said Kabwe. “Going forward, therefore, we would urge the government; through the department of social welfare and labour inspectors to intensify their inspections and ensure that they put in place monitoring mechanisms that would ensure that the engagement of young people in illegalities happening in the mining sector do not continue and, subsequently, we curb child labour together.”
