ADDIS ABABA – In relation to World Day Against Child Labor, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs called upon the public to end child labor in all its forms. The day is being celebrated today globally under the theme ‘Children should not work in fields but on dreams’.
Bassazen Derebe, Communication Directorate Director Representative at the Ministry said that children all over the world face severe child labor practices and obliged to work in various areas including agriculture, factories, mining and service giving institutions. To end this, various international and national policies and strategies have been devised and implemented.
As to him, the motto represents the main theme of UN Sustainable Development Goal, 2030. Especially, it advocates the goal 8.7 which aims at eradicating child labor by 2025 from the world. Refereeing the ILO’s report of 2018, the Director said that globally there are about 152 million children who are exposed to child labor of which 73 million are under worst conditions. These children are highly vulnerable to activities that risk their lives, unable to get education and violated their human rights, he noted.
The report further revealed the sectors that children are exposed to labor exploitation. In this regard, household activities, small manufacturing industries, construction and agricultural works, hotel and service giving institutions and mining are mentioned as front sectors.
The situation is not different in Ethiopia. As to the 2015 Central Statics Agency National Survey Report, comparing with the total number of children, more than 23 percent children are engaged in child labor activities. The Ministry is working to curtail the problem along with the concerned bodies, stakeholders and the community, he added.
Mentioning the National Children policy, international conventions that the nation cascaded, laws and regulation that are being implemented in the nation, the Director called on the society to play role in activities against child labor.
Kibiri Hailu, Director of Child Rights, Safety, Awareness, Participation and Inclusive Directorate at the Ministry of Women, Child and Youth said that shaping children personality, preventing and protecting them from any menace, as well as building rehabilitation center are amongst the priority directions set and being implemented by the government regarding children.
Mentioning that children problem is intricate, he said that lack of awareness and poor economic status drives children to drop out of school and engaged in income generating activities at a tender age. To curb this challenge and end child labor, the government is working persistently.
Along with Urban Food Security and Job Creation Agency, the Ministry provides support through government’s productive safety net programs, mainly in urban and rural safety net programs. Moreover, the government has embarked on Orphan and Vulnerable Children Program (OVC) to address poverty that compels children to labor and mistreatments, he added. As to him, the program aims at supporting orphan children and also those who are vulnerable to child labor, abuse and so on.
On the one hand, the rehabilitation center helps children who are already vulnerable to child labor or related problems to recuperate. As to him, once the children have taken the therapy and got better, reunion with their families, he stated.
Mentioning that the private sector takes the lion share in child labor, he mentioned that poverty, peer pressure and other socio-economic problems drive to child labor.
The government mainly emphasizes on prevention activities to tackle the challenges. Comparing with the previous years, child labor has shown promising decrement, he stressed.
However, the absence of law that controls the hiring of household employees is making the problem more demanding. Thus, the government should set legal frameworks so as to manage the process of hiring domestic households.
Celebrating such day – International Day against Child labour- is essential in making the government, community and concerned bodies conscious about the problem, he noted.
The Ethiopian Herald, June 12/2019
BY BETHLHEM BEDLU
