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(NYASATIMES) Authorities warn against child labour, lorry innterpted for carrying children to

Authorities warn against child labour, lorry innterpted for carrying children to estates
By Nyasa Times
Published: August 16, 2009

Lilongwe District Labour Officer, Michael Lihuhu has warned Africa Invest, an agro-based enterprise at Bolero in Rumphi district to spare children from child labour on its estate to avoid violating their rights.

He sounded the warning, when a lorry, registration number BP 3495 of Africa Invest Limited was intercepted in Lilongwe for ferrying 19 tenants and 11 children of school going ages of between 5 and 13 on its way from Mitundu to Rumphi for a two-year tenancy contract.

He said children have the right to education, care and protection among other rights for them to grow up into useful citizens.

“Tenancy work at the estate should not deprive children of their right to education and other human rights because that would be violating and infringing on such rights,” he said, adding that they should be protected from economic exploitation.

Lihuhu said government was committed to protecting children from any hazardous or harmful work that would be detrimental to their mental, physical, social and spiritual development.

To this end, the District Labour Officer ordered the Africa Invest Limited representative who went to recruit the tenants to take them back to their respective homes to collect school transfers for the children.

He also advised the enterprise representative to treat the tenants fairly, saying men and women have the right to be protected by the laws of the country.

“Government is putting measures to guard against human trafficking for labour purposes or any other human rights infringing activities,” he emphasized.

He said proper documentation of human migration for employment has to be done through the District Labour Offices in the country, as a measure to protect the rights of people in Malawi.

A representative of the enterprise, Richard Matekenya said the estate has Nkhozo and Nkhama primary schools where children would be learning if he was allowed to ferry them there.

“Tenancy work is for the elderly while the children at the estate will be allowed to go to schools,” adding that the estate tries to observe tenancy regulations by respecting the tenants’ rights,” he said.

He said the enterprise pays K175 per day per tenant, translating into K54, 600 per annum besides provisions of food rations like beans, maize and salt.

The tenants were trafficked from Traditional Authorities Chadza and Chiseka in Lilongwe District.

Parliament has not yet enacted the tenancy bill into a law since it was presented in the August House in 2005 and the delay is crippling efforts to curb child trafficking for labour purposes in the country.–Mana

Labels: AFRICA INVEST LTD, CHILD LABOUR, MALAWI, MICHAEL LIHUHU

posted by MrK @ 3:31 PM