From May 15 to 20 this year, the South African government in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Alliance 8.7 hosted the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour.
It was hosted in Durban with high level delegates from across the globe, including heads of state, 120 ministers, tripartite constituents of 187 member countries of ILO, United Nations agencies, academic institutions, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, media and an important first, child delegates.
It was the first conference to be held on the African continent and strategically so since Africa has the highest number of children in labour.
The conference was also significant because it is the last one before the 2025 deadline to end child labour as the world works towards achieving Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals - to eliminate child labour by 2025.
To quote one delegate: "Child labour is not an act of God but a man-made social-ill and the culprits are none other than those that are gathered here, in Durban."
The general sentiments throughout the conference were that we cannot contemplate or postpone ending child labour, immediate action is required.
Global statistics
The ILO estimates that globally, over 160 million children are involved in child labour. Of that number, 90 million are from Africa.
The ILO estimates that a further 8 million children will be in child labour by the end of 2022 as there has been huge regression in progress due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Child labour is mostly prevalent in the agricultural sector which accounts for 70 percent of all children in labour. Worryingly, the age group of 5 to 11 years is disproportionately affected.
Millions of children are losing their formative years to exploitation. This must end and about this, the world must be categorical.
Contributory factors
It is widely known that poverty and the inability to absorb economic shocks push children into vulnerability of rights violations including child labour.
Global trends such as climate change and its related humanitarian consequences, COVID-19, food insecurity, the war in Ukraine, migration trends, economic crises and the energy crises are compounding factors that have pushed even more children into work.
The Covid-19 Factor
Initially, Covid-19 actually had the consequence of reducing the incidents of child labour because like everyone else, children withdrew from work and went home.
However, when lockdowns began to be relaxed an estimated nine million more children were plunged into the labour market.
Covid-19 disrupted education all across the globe and across the economic spectrum. The rich and poor alike were affected although some adjusted quicker and took education to virtual platforms, thus creating the digital divide.
The economic impact of Covid-19 and the failure of many children to return to school post lockdown resulted in higher numbers of child labourers with children trying to supplement the household income and some simply trying to survive.
What are the solutions
Deliberations at the global conference showed that we have all the tools in the toolbox and we know what works.
It is imperative to build resilience and ensure households have sufficient resources to sustain themselves and keep children out of work.
Ratification of international conventions such as ILO 183 and corresponding national legislation and policies are the first step towards combating child labour.
However, legislation on its own is insufficient. It must be complemented by strict enforcement and robust strategies to create a conducive environment.
Access to universal, free, compulsory and quality education is best practice for ending child labour. It makes economic sense for children to be in school as the community, nation and the world benefits from the skills development.
Thus achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education also contributes to eliminating child labour.
It is important to expand the educational infrastructure and spaces to include both physical and virtual spaces to close the digital divide.
School feeding programmes that ensure that children have a meal a day at school provide incentive for children to maintain regular attendance.
Universal social protection with specific focus on children and the vulnerable provides income support and helps towards fighting poverty.
While social protection strengthens the household economy, it is even more important to provide decent work for parents and support to strengthen livelihoods.
The adults should be ceased with the household economics and the children should be allowed to learn, play and develop.
The Children's Forum
One of the major highlights of the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour was the Children's Forum, the first in the history of the global child labour conference.
It provided for children to participate in the conference through an intergenerational dialogue where children raised their issues and jointly discussed solutions with stakeholders from ILO, the UN and government.
Young people from 10 counties around the world were represented. The lived experiences and shared perspectives of children were shared during the sessions.
The children focused on six thematic areas where they developed problem statements and proposed solutions.
President Ramaphosa in opening the conference stated that, "The world has stopped to listen, children have stated that they need to be heard."
The legacy of child participation was started in South Africa and it would be amiss if this is not carried on through future conferences.
The outcomes of the Children's Forum formed part of the conference outcomes and the Durban Call to Action.
However, the true evidence of children's participation is yet to be seen in the implementation of the children's recommendations post the conference.
"We can wait for the 6th Global Conference, sure, but the 160 million children in labour cannot afford that, they would have lost their childhood," said a child rights campaigner from Zambia.
The Zimbabwe Situation
I had the opportunity to meet with delegates from Zimbabwe and the honour to interview the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Professor Paul Mavima, to understand the situation of child labour in Zimbabwe.
He reaffirmed Zimbabwe's commitment to ending child labour highlighting that from the 4th Global Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Government has ratified several international and ILO conventions.
He hastened to acknowledge that ratification of international instruments on its own was not sufficient, but deliberate effort was required.
He stated that according to recent data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS, 2019), out of 4,2 million children aged between 5 to 17 years in Zimbabwe, 26 percent were exposed to incidents of child labour and that government was concerned about such a high figure.
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He shared some interventions that government has adopted in order to curb child labour, including access to education through the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), school feeding programmes, social protection through the Harmonised Social Cash Transfer (HSCT) and inspections in various sectors that perpetuate child labour.
The Minister showed the impact of the broader macro-economic situation on families and committed to addressing these issues, creating decent work and ending poverty as a way of ending child labour.
The Durban Call to Action
Child labour in all its facets is an enemy of children's development, their future and our collective progress.
In a world that is exceedingly developing and wealthier, we have more children in child labour despite the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th global conference.
This is unacceptable.
Exploitation of children is not only illegal, but it is immoral thus making child labour a social justice issue. The 2025 target for ending child labour is under threat.
The workshop era must end. The global infrastructure is there, nations have made commitments and the strategies to end child labour are known.
What is left is to put resources behind action and not become complacent. It is time to walk the talk and stand by the commitments made. Close the gap between policy and implementation.
There was a resounding call to action in Durban. Unless there is accelerated action, there will be an exponential rise in child labour.
I refuse to believe that the world is too poor to protect all of its children. Deliberate efforts and sustained action plus political will are required to end child labour.
Kudzai-Vimbiso Tseriwa is a child protection social worker.
