Over 40 per cent Ugandan children are in labour market
The permanent secretary in the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), Aggrey Kibenge, has called for the total elimination of child labour as one of Uganda’s bedrocks for socio-economic development.
During the 10th meeting of the National Steering Committee on Child Labour held at Protea Hotel on August 14, Kibenge urged all stakeholders to address emerging trends and challenges, including the socio-economic factors driving child labour, and coordinate resources for sustainable interventions in accordance with the National Action Plan on Elimination of Child Labour.
The committee chaired by the MGLSD, is a centralized platform for collaboration among key stakeholders, enabling coherent and efficient approaches to tackling and eliminating child labour.
In his speech read by Fred Ngabirano, commissioner Youth and Children Affairs at the MGLSD, Kibenge emphasized strengthening “multi-sectoral collaborations, ensuring that government, employers, workers’ organisations, civil society, and communities”, if positive strides must be made against this vice.
The 2021 National Labour Survey (NLFS) by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) reveals that 6.2 million (40% of the 15.7 million) children aged 5-17 years were engaged in child labour, excluding those doing household work, with more boys (50.4%) than girls (49.6%) working.
The high rates of child labour in Uganda are attributed to high poverty rates, limited access to education and cultural barriers, among others. The government has, as a result, put in place several policies and legal frameworks as well as institutional structures to accelerate the elimination of child labour in Uganda.
Among these interventions is the National Child Labour Policy that provides for the National Steering Committee on Child Labour, which spearheads, coordinates, and provides strategic guidance on the measures and interventions undertaken by various actors to eliminate child labour.
“We notice that despite these high numbers, Uganda still has yet another challenge. All national planning and interventions still rely on 2021 estimates. This lack of current, robust national data risks underestimating the scale and shifting patterns of child labour, making it harder to deploy targeted, evidence-based solutions,” Kibenge said.
He urged members to continue demonstrating a measurable change in communities, to thwart child labour. During discussions, Ngabirano highlighted districts where children are engaged in hazardous labour.
He mentioned Busia district, where some children are trafficked from the Karamoja sub-region and employed as cattle keepers because there is a belief that such children have a natural gift for looking after cattle.
He urged the committee to align all their deliberations with the existing legal frameworks and the National Development Plan IV. Tonny Kasiita, the Child Protection officer at the UNHCR, gave highlights on child labour in refugee camps. He called for the integration of refugee child protection services within the national frameworks, to improve coordination and ensure comprehensive support for vulnerable children.
He also noted that in Uganda, the potential causes of child labour include limited access to quality education, and cultural norms where some cultures believe that children should contribute to the household income or work on family farms, among others.
SSP Jackson Mucunguzi, the Child Family Protection Officer in Uganda Police Force, called upon the government to invest more in strengthening the family unit if child labour is to end.
“Nowadays, fathers are becoming simply sperm donors, yet they should be home to provide, protect and mentor their children with the support of the mothers,” Mucunguzi said.
He called for the empowerment of the boy child so they can grow up knowing their role; efforts are currently geared towards empowering only the girl child. Bernard Amuriat, Assistant Commissioner Labour Inspection, called for clear mapping so that all the apparent issues surrounding child labour are addressed.
He also called for the development of standards on what constitutes ‘child labour’, adding that these standards should be unique to the Ugandan context. The meeting was attended by representatives from UNICEF, UNHCR, ministry of Trade, Kampala Capital City Authority, and the International Labour Organisation, among other stakeholders.
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