Rescued children revert to child labour
Group village head (GVH) Chonde of Mulanje has disclosed that majority of the children who were rescued from the worst forms of child labour in Mulanje are falling back into the trap because they have no capital to enable them venture into economic activities.
The development comes barely months after the International Labour Organisation (ILO) phased out its project in the district.
vocational skills centre
ILO, through its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) with financial resources from the United States Department of Labour (US DoL), has been supporting the implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) to combat Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) in selected districts.
The project was aimed at preventing, protecting, withdrawing and rehabilitation working children through education and vocational skills training.
In Mulanje, the project was being implemented by Active Youth Initiative for Social Enhancement (Ayise) in areas of group village heads (GVHs) Chonde, Kululira, Mthiramanja and Abunu in traditional authority (T/A) Mthiramanja.
Chief Chonde observed that skills training was not enough to prepare children for economic independence.
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati, said there are so many child-rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that merely train needy children without providing them with startup capital to enable them stand own their own.
She said: They do not say whether government needs to contribute something.”
Ayise executive director Marcel Chisi could not be reached as his mobile phone was off. n
