Dar Es Salaam — IN its 2010 global report on child labour, the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows a minor decline in the number of child labourers in various parts of the world including Tanzania between 2004 and 2008.

According to the report, the number of child labourers declined by three per cent from 222 million to 215 million. The trend has worried many including experts who called for re-energized global campaign to end the indiscriminate practice.

When commenting on the new report, ILO Director General Juan Somavia said: "The new report represents a slowing down of the global pace of reduction and the progress is uneven as neither fast enough nor comprehensive enough to reach the goals we have set before."

Observers say that the report's findings are in contrast with the last evaluation of 2006, which found greater cause for optimism. The report entitled, 'Accelerating action against Child Labour,' indicates that the overall pattern of child labour reduction has been maintained and a staggering 115 million are still exposed to hazardous work, a proxy often used for the worst forms of child labour.

While Asia Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean continue to reduce child labour, sub- Saharan Africa, according to the report, has witnessed an increase in both relative and

absolute terms with one in four children engaged in child labour. The report breaks down data by age and gender.

Progress was great among the children aged 5-14, where the number of child labourers fell by 10 per cent. The number of children in hazardous work in this age range fell by 31 per cent. Child labour among girls decreased considerably by 15 million which is equivalent to 15 per cent.

The ILO's Director of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), Mr Constance Thomas, says the achievements are there but stressed the need to address what he described as 'hidden' forms of child labour, which are often among the worst forms.

"Most child labour is rooted in poverty. The way to tackle the problem is clear. We must ensure that all children have the chance of going to school, we need social protection systems that support vulnerable families, particularly at times of crisis...These measures combined with effective enforcement of laws that protect children, provide the way forward," said the IPEC Director.

In Tanzania, the practice is more prevalent in rural areas where children work on clove, coffee, sisal, sugar cane, tea and tobacco farms as well as in the production of corn, green algae, pyrethrum, rubber and wheat. Children also work in underground mines, such as Tanzanite mines and engage in gemstone brokering.

In the informal sector, children engage in scavenging, fishing, fish processing and quarrying. Other children work as barmaids, street vendors, cart pushers and auto mechanics. Children also work as domestic servants in thirdparty homes and some fall prey to exploitation into prostitution when fleeing abusive employers.

On the island of Zanzibar,children work in fishing, markets and hotels. Zanzibari children also work in the tourism industry, petty trading, clove picking, domestic service and are involved in commercial sexual exploitation near tourist locations. Commercial sexual exploitation of children is a growing problem in Tanzania as well, said the ILO report.

Most important, however, the government in collaboration with other key partners, such as the ILO and NGOs, has been taking decisive measures to end child labour in the prevalent areas. Tanzanian laws, for example, prohibit employment of children under the age of 14 years in the mainland, except for light work that is not likely to harm the child's health and development and that does not prejudice the child's attendance at school.

The laws also prohibit children under the age of 18 years from being employed in mines, factories, ships or other worksites that the minister of labour deems to be hazardous. The mainland law also provides for the protection of children from exploitation in the workplace and prohibits forced or compulsory labour.

The labour laws establish a criminal punishment for anyone using illegal child labour or forced labour. Tanzanian law further prohibits trafficking in children without parental or guardian consent. On the mainland, traffickers can be prosecuted under existing statutes that criminalize the sale of people, forced labour, child labour and various sexual offences.

In Zanzibar, traffickers can be prosecuted under existing laws that criminalize kidnapping, abduction and slavery. In 2007, the US Department of State (USDOS) said in its report on the state of child labour in Tanzania that the country has made significant progress in dealing with the problem. Efforts undertaken included effective enforcement of the labour laws by the Government.

It was further pointed out that the fight against child labour was also successful as a result of an increase in the number of labour inspectors and an awareness-raising campaign directed towards formal sector employers. At the community level, child labour committees played a crucial role as they were able to identify and monitor children who engaged in exploitative child labour, said the report. The government continues to take actions to address child labour.

Measures include ensuring children's proper attendance in school, penalizing parents who fail to enroll in school their children and educating formal sector employers on child labour issues. The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Youth Development also continues with its awareness -raising efforts by holding child labour seminars throughout the country.

Tanzania's National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) which is now in its second phase, carries specific references on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour by providing former child labourers with a range of educational alternatives.

It also aims to increase the rates of primary school enrolment, attendance and completion for child labourers, as well as orphans and other vulnerable children.