A decade ago, a goal was set to end child labour by 2025 under the UN’s Target 8.7. Yet, as Rwanda joins the world to mark Children’s Day under the theme ‘My Day, My Rights,’ on November 20, the commitment is not yet met.

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The 2023–2024 Annual Labour Compliance Inspection Report by the Ministry of Public Service and Labour (MIFOTRA) recorded 31 cases of child labour nationwide, dropping from 86 cases in 2023. Of these, only 19 were referred to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) for legal action. The report notes that all 31 children, 20 boys and 11 girls, were removed from child labour.

Muhanga District recorded the highest number of cases (6), followed by Rubavu with five, while Kamonyi, Ruhango, and Musanze each reported three cases. Kayonza District topped the list of referrals to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), registering all reported five incidents.

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Rwanda’s 2018 Labour Law strictly prohibits employing children in, among others, domestic work, mining, and agricultural tasks that involve carrying heavy loads or pose any risk to their health, safety, or development. The law also bans forms of labour that are physically harmful, such as, working underground, underwater, at dangerous heights, or in confined spaces.

It also prohibits them from operating or handling dangerous machinery, tools, or heavy loads, working in environments with extreme temperatures, excessive noise, or harmful vibrations and performing work that requires long hours, night shifts, or takes place in restricted spaces. These provisions aim to protect children from exploitation and ensure their wellbeing, safety, and healthy development.

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Persistent challenges that remain

According to Evariste Murwanashyaka, Head of Programmes at CLADHO, an umbrella of Human Rights Organisations, and a National Children Rights Observer, the challenge in ending child labour lies in implementation of the adopted mechanism, not mere policy.

"We have a strong legal framework, but local leaders are not fulfilling their responsibilities. You still find children engaged in domestic work while local authorities fail to intervene or guide households on what tasks are appropriate for children. In many cases, parents do not even realise that children are involved in child labour. Monitoring and community education should be the authorities’ first duty,” he said.

"District authorities, inspectors, and education officers should work together to track children who are out of school,” he added.

According to Jean De Dieu Bagirihirwe, an officer at the Rwanda Workers Trade Union Confederation (CESTRAR), the combination of limited inspection capacity and hidden informal work, continues to expose children to labour.

"We see gaps in agriculture, domestic work and informal mining, and each of these sectors has its own challenges. In agriculture, inspectors are unable to cover vast rural areas, and most child labour is disguised as ‘family help,’ making it extremely difficult to tell who is actually employed,” he said.

"Domestic work happens inside private homes, which makes routine inspections nearly impossible. Most cases only come to light when a conflict arises between the employer and the worker, but inspectors cannot move door-to-door to verify conditions,” he added.

Bagirihirwe said that the systematic gap is the inadequate number of labour inspectors compared to the size of the informal economy.