The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has called for concerted efforts among various stakeholders to eliminate all forms of child labour in Kisii County.
The organization is currently implementing the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Africa (ACCEL Africa) project in the county with the aim of addressing the root causes of child labour.
Speaking during a county stakeholders’ forum at a hotel in Kisii town, ACCEL Africa National Project Officer Duncan Chando said they are tackling the leading causes of child labour by handling issues of occupational safety, social protection, youth unemployment and alternative livelihoods.
“There’s progress, but must more needs to be done and so, let us join efforts and continue with the collaboration so that everyone plays a key role in ending child labour,” said Chando.
Kisii South Deputy County Commissioner Grace Ouma pointed out the critical role that the National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) play as the first contact persons whenever issues of child labour are raised at the grassroots level.
Ms. Ouma, who represented the County Commissioner, urged partners to incorporate livelihood projects that will boost income at the household level so that they eliminate child labour in all forms.
The DCC also called for collective action with the police and Kisii county government, noting that child labour involves a lot of enforcement.
According to the Labour Officer Merceline Etyang, children within Kisii are engaged in various forms of child labour such as hawking in markets, mining of soapstone and gold, sugarcane farming as well as tea and coffee picking.
The ACCEL Africa project is designed to accelerate the eradication of child labour by focusing on targeted, system-strengthening interventions within key supply chains such as tea and coffee.
The project employs a holistic “systems approach” that reinforces existing frameworks to address the root causes of child labour rather than relying solely on traditional, project-based approaches.
By Mercy Osongo
