NGO condemns child rights violation

Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (Cyece) has condemned parents who assign their children to sell merchandise during school time.

In an interview, the organisation’s district coordinator Joseph Magaleta said the development affects children’s right to education and exposes them to abuse.

 “Most of the children operate the business late into the night, thereby exposing them to sexual and drug abuse,” he said.

He also said most children drop out of school and go into child marriages due to their engagement in business.

Salima district assistant social welfare officer Alexis Makatha attributed the problem to inactive community child protection structures and parents’ negligence.

“Our office has been working with different stakeholders and government sectors to eliminate children’s engagement in business,” he said.

Makatha, however, said the council is putting in place measures to ensure that the challenges are dealt with.

“We will soon engage different stakeholders to ensure parents and guardians are conversant with child rights and protection laws,” he said.

Salima district labour officer McDolex Chavala said child rights protection needs collaborative efforts in the district.

“Stakeholders should work together to end child abuse,” he said.