Lilongwe child labour by-laws ready by June
Lilongwe District has concluded consultations that will culminate into by-laws for fighting child labour.
According to Lilongwe District Child Labour and Protection Committee chairperson George Mussa, his committee has been engaging area development committees, traditional leaders, ward councillors and members of Parliament for their input.
Speaking during an engagement meeting with the district’s parliamentarians on Wednesday, Mussa observed that it was time the by-laws were put in place to help eliminate child labour in the district.
“Lilongwe being an agricultural district has a lot of children engaged in child labour. Most of them work in tobacco farms which eventually deprives them of their right to education,” said Mussa.
Lilongwe District Council chairperson Christopher Masasa bemoaned the negative impact of child labour on education.
“The school dropout rate for Lilongwe is currently at 12 percent and primary school completion rate is at 23.5 percent. Child labour is one of the contributing factors to these figures,” said Masasa.
He warned that if left unchecked, two out of every 10 adults in the district will not have the capacity and skills to get gainful employment.
“They are most likely to be poor, marginalised and dependent on the earnings of their own children thus perpetuating the child labour poverty cycle,” he said.
The project is being funded by International Labour Organisation (ILO).
