Target 8.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls for a complete end to child labour in all its forms by the year 2025. However, the numbers of victims of child labour could increase, as the UN says that the Covid-19 pandemic crisis could push more millions of vulnerable children into child labour. June 12 every year is World Day Against Child Labour, and this years’ celebrations will be held under the global theme; “Protect children from child labour, now more than ever.” Child labour refers to the employment of children under 18 years in any work that deprives them of their childhood, interferes with their ability and right to attend school, and work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous for their age. Globally, there are an estimated 152 million children between ages of 5 to 17 in child labour. This is almost equal to one in 10 children globally. 72 million of these children are in hazardous work. The figures are higher in the least developed countries, where slightly more than one in four children aged 5 to 17 are engaged in labour that is considered harmful to their health and development. 48% of the victims of child labour are aged 5-11, 28% are 12-14 years old, and 24% were 15-17 years old. Child labour is intense in agriculture, which is 71% of the work; fishing, forestry, livestock herding and aquaculture. Service sector is second with 17% of the work, and then the industrial sector which includes mining with 12% of the work. For Rwanda, the Integrated Household Living Condition Survey EICV4 (2013/14) conducted by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) portrayed 483,000 children aged between 6 to 17 years in child labour outside their families. That was a 13% of the total children of that age. 66.9% of the children were in hard labour in Agriculture, 8% were domestic workers, and 2% of the children were working in hazardous conditions, among others. Josiane Nyiramongi, the Child Protection and Promotion Officer at the National Commission for Children told The New Times that despite the Government’s effort to fight child labour, its causes still persist. “These children become labourers mostly because of family conflicts, poverty and school dropouts, among others. “But we have been trying to solve these problems, by solving family conflicts or help uplifting poor families, for instance through VUP (Vision 2020 Umurenge Program) so that their children don’t end up labourers, and there is a new law that protects the child.” Nyiramongi adds that one of the reason child labour persists is because of people’s mindset. “There is a proverb that goes ‘Umwana ni uwakoze’ (lightly translated as ‘a nice child is the one who works’). We understand children can work, but they should work according to their age. It is a mentality people have to change.” Researchers have shown that the trouble of tasks and harsh working conditions lead to premature ageing of the child, malnutrition, depression, and drug dependency. The child is also not able to have a normal education, which can affect their future financially or socially. Sometimes, child labour could lead to sexual exploitation. Guidelines on child labour The Ministry of Public Service and Labour categorises children in their age groups permitted to work where all children younger than five years are assumed to be economically inactive. Children between five and 12 years are allowed to perform unpaid household chores but are not allowed to work for 20 hours a week. Children aged between the ages of 13 to 15 are allowed to perform light work, which includes domestic work and other family income-generating activities inside or outside of their household, in not more than 20 hours a week. Children between the ages of 16 to 17 are, however, allowed to perform all activities except the worst forms of child labour and hazardous work.
