Stakeholders in Kisii County are poised to build synergy geared towards elimination of child labour, thanks to a partnership disseminating the popular version of the Children Act cap 141.
The National Council for Children Services in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) met local stakeholders in a Kisii hotel to disseminate the version of the Act, in a move geared towards developing a stronger collaboration with each entity, understanding its role and mandate in ending the vice.
Addressing the press during the meeting, the Council’s Children Services Officer Janet Mwema called upon all stakeholders to collaborate with others saying none can win the battle in isolation.
Mwema noted that the Council, which regulates children’s issues, oversights and coordinates government policies, remains committed in ensuring stronger partnerships.
The children’s officer added that in Cap 141, children too had their mandate to respect authorities, desist from harming each other, be obedient and protect the environment among others.
Mwema called for protection of children from building bricks, working in tea and coffee farms during the holiday season, warning that perpetrators would face the consequences from the judicial actors as stipulated in the law.
She however cited various challenges in implementing the legislations of children polices including poor coordination and lack of harmony.
ILO Child Protection Promotions Officer Duncan Agunga noted that Kisii county was of interest to them because it was an agricultural region.
Agunga explained that agriculture accounted for 61 percent of all child labour cases, especially in the tea, coffee and sugarcane sector.
Kisii County Labour officer Mercyline Etiang underscored the importance of collaboration as key factor in elimination of child labour, adding that only then would children be able to go back and complete schooling.
Etiang expressed concern over persistence in the vice saying the reason it mostly went unnoticed was because perpetrators see it as child work, thus hindering its elimination.
She explained that children should not work in cash crops farms because they get exposed to hazardous farm chemicals, which are detrimental to their health.
The Labour officer added that mining and fishing also exposes children to various risks including long hours of work, especially the duration between 6pm to 6am.
Etiang noted that children between the ages of 13-16 years, were only supposed to work for a maximum of two hours a day, while under supervision and guidance to ensure they don’t go beyond their capability.
The exercise continues in other parts of the country including Kisumu and Kericho counties.
By Jane Naitore and Clinton Nyamumbo
