303 minors out of child labour

Chitipa district labour officer Macknon Mogha says they have rescued 303 children working in coffee plantations in Senior Chief Mwenemisuku in the district.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, he said the children have since returned to school.

Mogha said they succeeded with the support of Accelerating Action in the Elimination of Child Labour project in 15 schools under Lughesyo Zone in the district.

He said: “As you know, Misuku area has coffee plantations, so parents used to send their under-aged children to work in those plantations as a source of income.

“However, the project is advocating the rights of children to education such that many households in Misuku know their children’s right to education and the bad side of child labour.”

Mogha said they provide learning materials to some of the rescued children and give parents business capital so that they can support their children.

Senior Chief Mwenemisuku said sensitisation campaigns under the project are helping to raise awareness among parents on various forms of child abuse, including child labour.

“People in my area now understand that child labour is bad and there is an improvement as people know that when children engage in child labour, they will not become reliable citizens,” he said.

The project is being implemented in 64 primary schools in Chitipa, Mzimba South, Ntchisi, Mulanje and Thyolo districts.

The project is implemented by International Labour Organisation, Ministry of Labour, Malawi Congress of Trade Unions, Teachers Union of Malawi, Employers Consultative Association of Malawi and Impact Centre for Economic Empowerment and development.