SPEECH BY THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS (ZFE) VICE PRESIDENT MIDLANDS MR. KENNEDY NJAMBA AT THE CHILD LABOUR COMMEMORATION OF THE WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR 12TH JUNE 2022

SPEECH BY THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS (ZFE) VICE PRESIDENT MIDLANDS MR. KENNEDY NJAMBA AT THE CHILD LABOUR COMMEMORATION OF THE WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR  12TH JUNE 2022

 

THE GUEST OF HONOUR MR. ZECHARIAH LUHANGA, ACTING PS, MLSS.

THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF LUSAKA                                                              

THE ILO COUNTRY DIRECTOR MR. GEORGE OKUTHO

THE ZCTU REPRESENTATIVE MRS. TISA CHIPONDA

SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PRESENT

DISTINGUISHED INVITED GUESTS

THE PRESS

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

I AM GLAD TO HAVE BEEN ACCORDED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME REMARKS ON BEHALF OF THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS ON THIS COMMEMORATION OF THE WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR UNDER THE THEME INCREASED SOCIAL PROTECTION TO END CHILD LABOUR. IT IS THE  VIEW OF THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS AND ITS GENERAL MEMBERSHIP THAT THE CHILDREN IN ZAMBIA AND ANY WHERE IN THE WORLD MUST NOT BE EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY OR ANY WHERE ELSE AT A TIME WHEN THEY  ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN SCHOOL.  WHAT IS MORE WORRYING AND WHAT MUST BE OF GREAT CONCERN IS THE FACT THAT ACCORDING TO THE 2020 CHILD LABOUR REPORT, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CHILD HEADED HOMES IN THE COUNTRY IN THE AGES BETWEEN 5 AND 17 WHICH IS A PUSH FACTOR FOR CHILDREN TO BE ENGAGED IN EMPLOYMENT AS OPPOSED TO BEING IN SCHOOL.  THIS SITUATION MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE. 

GUEST OF HONOUR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE IN THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS GOT SHOCKED AND WERE GREATLY SADDENED  TO LEARN FROM THE 2020 CHILD LABOUR REPORT  THAT OUT OF AN ESTIMATED TOTAL NUMBER OF SIX MILLION ONE HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT (6,198,568)  CHILDREN IN ZAMBIA, FOUR MILLION, EIGHT HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE  (4,864,535)  REPRESENTING 78%,  HAD NEVER ATTENDED SCHOOL. WE FIND THIS TO BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION NOT ONLY TO THE FAMILIES OF THESE CHILDREN, BUT ALSO TO THE COUNTRY AS THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF  HAVING AN ILLITERATE POPULATION IN THE COUNTRY OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED AS IT POSES A DANGER TO THE NATION IN THE SENSE THAT AN ILLITERATE POPULATION WILL LACK THE BASIC SKILLS FOR QUALITY EMPLOYMENT, AND THAT COUNTRY ALSO RISKS GETTING INTO A LITERACY CRISIS WHICH WOULD BE VERY COSTLY TO GET OUT AS IT WOULD REQUIRE COMING UP WITH LITERACY PROGRAMS AT A HIGH COST TO THE NATION. WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW A SITUATION OF GETTING TO A LEVEL OF HAVING A COUNTRY WITH NONREADERS AS SUCH A SITUATION MAY LEAD TO POLITICIANS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE LOW LITERACY LEVELS OF THE CITIZENS AND DECIDE NOT TO WORK EFFECTIVELY FOR THE PEOPLE ON SERVICE DELIVERY.

GUEST OF HONOUR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE GRATEFUL AND WE COMMEND THE NEW DAWN GOVERNMENT FOR INTRODUCING FREE EDUCATION AND GOING BY MEDIA REPORTS SO FAR IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT SCHOOLS ARE NOW FULL OF PUPILS WHICH MEANS THAT A NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHO COULD NOT GO TO SCHOOL HITHERTO, ARE NOW ABLE TO GET TO THE CLASS ROOM.  

GUEST OF HONOUR , LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU MAY WISH TO KNOW OR YOU MAY BE AWARE THAT DURING THE MONTH OF MAY THIS YEAR, THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE HELD ITS 5TH GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON CHILD LABOUR IN DURBAN SOUTH AFRICA WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND ITS SOCIAL PARTNERS WHICH INCLUDED THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS. THE DURBAN CONFERENCE GUEST OF HONOUR CONCLUDED ITS WORK WITH  A CALL REFERRED TO AS “ THE DURBAN CALL TO ACTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR.”

THE DURBAN CALL TO ACTION ON CHILD LABOUR HAS DEMANDED AMONG OTHER THINGS THAT : 

  1. ILO MEMBER STATES LIKE ZAMBIA MUST DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAMMES OF ACTION TO ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR. AS ZFE WE RECALL THAT WHEN ZAMBIA RATIFIED ILO CONVENTION NO. 182, IN 1999 WE HAD FUNDING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION AND A NUMBER OF ACTION PROGRAMMES TO ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR WERE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH OUT THE COUNTRY BY VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS AND THE COUNTRY MANAGED TO WITHDRAW A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CHILD FROM WORK AND A NUMBER OF THEM WERE MADE TO GET BACK TO SCHOOL. OVER THE YEARS AND ALSO BECAUSE THE ILO INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR ( IPEC ) CAME TO AN END THERE HAVE NOT BEEN SERIOUS WORK ON THIS FIGHT AND WE CAN SEE THAT THE CHILD LABOUR CASES ARE NOW RISING. FINANCIAL RESOURCES ARE NEEDED IN ORDER TO EMBARK ON THIS FIGHT AGAINST CHILD LABOUR AND THE GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE A LEAD ON THIS MATTER WORKING TOGETHER WITH OURSELVES IN ZFE AND OUR COLLEGUES IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT TO SCALE UP ACTIVITIES TO END CHILD LABOUR IN ZAMBIA.
  2. TAKE MEASURES INCLUDING GENDER –RESPONSIVE MEASURES TO TACKLE CHILD LABOUR, PARTICULARLY ITS ROOT CAUSE AND REIGNITE AND UPSCALE ACTIVITIES TOWARDS UNITED NATIONS’ STRATEGIC  DEVELOPMENT GOAL (SDG)  TARGET 8.7 TO END CHILD LABOUR BY 2025, RECOGNIZING THE CENTRAL ROLE OF PUBLIC LABOUR ADMINISTRATION WITH OTHER RELEVANT AUTHORITIES. GUEST OF HONOUR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU WILL NOTE THAT THE WORLD HAS SET A TARGET OF 2025 AS A YEAR TO END CHILD LABOUR AS IT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED TO BE AN EVIL TO THE CHILDREN AND TO COUNTRIES AT LARGE. WE CAN NOT REMAIN BEHIND AS ZAMBIA WHILE THE REST OF THE WORLD IS MOVING. WE MUST INDEED RISE UP AND DO ALL IT WILL TAKE TO PREVENT OUR CHILDREN FROM BEING EMPLOYED WHEN THEY MUST BE SPENDING THEIR TIME IN SCHOOL. WITH THE FREE EDUCATION THAT THE NEW DAWN GOVERNMENT HAS INTRODUCED, OUR RURAL PARENTS MUST STOP CARRYING CHILDREN TO THEIR FIELDS DURING THE TIME THAT THE CHILDREN MUST BE IN SCHOOL.

GUEST OF HONOUR, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ALL AS GOVERNMENT, EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS ORGANIZATIONS, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND THE PARENTS TO THE CHILDREN HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO RISE UP AND COMBINE OUR EFFORTS AND END CHILD LABOUR BY 2025.

 

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND GOD BLESS US ALL.