The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam) have signed an action programme to mobilise the country’s private sector in the fight against child labour.
A statement from the UN resident coordinator’s office in Malawi dated December 15 shows that the new action programme will see Ecam establishing a National Employer Task Force Against Child Labour.
The action programme, valued at more than K73 million (about $100 000), is under the ILO’s Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa (Accel Africa) project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands.
Ecam executive director George Khaki is quoted in the statement as having said that they plan to spur employers to devise innovative ways of tackling child labour, especially in the agriculture sector.
“Malawi being an Alliance 8.7 Pathfinder Country, this new action programme will help to show the commitment of business in the country to come up with practical solutions to reduce the prevalence of child labour in Malawi,” he said.
On his part, George Okutho, director of ILO country office for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique said they want to Ecam to strengthen the capacity of the private sector.
“Through this action programme, we are pleased to be supporting Ecam to strengthen the capacity of Malawi’s private sector to improve compliance regarding child labour, especially in the country’s tea and coffee supply chains,” he said.
The recent National Child Labour Survey showed that 38 percent of children aged between five and 17 are involved in child labour in Malawi, the majority of whom are working in the agriculture sector with about half of whom are engaged in hazardous child labour.
