Free learning fails to stamp out child labour

 

Children take part during the launch of Child Labour free Zones in Kisumu yesterday. According to the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and neglect-ANPPCAN there are 1.1 million children employed as child labourers in various sectors in the country.PHOTO/JACOB OWITI  

In Summary

• Speaking in Kisumu during the launch of Child Labour-free zones in Kenya yesterday, the groups said over one million children were still engaged in agriculture, fishing and commercial sex work.

Lobby groups have raised concerns over increasing cases of child labour despite concerted efforts to promote free primary education.

Speaking in Kisumu during the launch of Child Labour-free zones in Kenya yesterday, the groups said over one million children were still engaged in agriculture, fishing and commercial sex work.

The chief executive officer of the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse-Kenya, Mr Alloys Opiyo, noted that child labour had not been adequately tackled by the authorities expected to ensure children of school-going age were not employed.

“It is alarming that bodies charged with the responsibility of ensuring more children are enrolled in schools away from labour provision sites have been sleeping on their job,” Mr Opiyo charged, adding, agriculture and fishing had the highest number of child labourers.

Citing poverty as a major push factor in child labour, Mr Opiyo said that Anppcan-Kenya had managed to rescue only 350 children from more than 50 villages and 22 beaches in Nyanza.