NGO rescues 272 children from tobacco farms
Good Health Organisation has rescued at least 272 children from tobacco farms in Kasungu District.
Speaking on Thursday during a monitoring visit in Traditional Authority Wimbe, the organisation’s coordinator Judith Ngwala said some estate owners have been employing children in their tobacco farms.
She said: “Some estate owners employed children, taking advantage of their poverty, orphanhood and vulnerability. This tendency is contributing highly to school dropout rate among children.
“It is sad to note that many children whose parents work in estates end up as child labourers in the course of assisting their parents.”
Ngwala also said the organisation is working with child labour committees in villages to track children working in the tobacco estates.
Kasungu district assistant labour officer Joylet Kuchipala Yona commended Good Health Organisation for its commitment in the fight against child labour and popularising new labour laws in the district.
“We would like to see more organisations coming in and support the work of ensuring that all the estates are operating in accordance with the laws,” she said.
The Kasungu-based organisation is implementing Addressing Decent Work Deficits and Improving Access to Rights in Malawi’s Tobacco Sector aimed at promoting decent work practices in tobacco farms.
With Funding from the Norwegian Government through International Labour Organisation, Good Health Organisation is implementing the Address Project in T/As Kawamba and Wimbe in the district.
