Africa-Press – Zambia. Labour and Social Security Minister Brenda Tambatamba says about 2.7 million children are engaged in unpaid work activities in Zambia. Ms Tambatamba says the estimated number of children in child labour is about 430, 000 while those involved in hazardous child labour is about 29, 000 with rural areas having 58.1 per cent of children in child labour while urban areas account for 41.19 per cent.
She said Lusaka province has the highest number of children in child labour followed by Central and Copperbelt provinces respectively. Ms. Tambatamba has further disclosed that Eastern, Copperbelt, Lusaka and Western provinces have hazardous child labour rates above the national average of 40.9 per cent.
She said that to address child labour, Zambia will be reviewing the current Child Labour Policy as part of the National Employment and Labour Market Policy.
Ms Tambatamba said Zambia has set up a National steering committee to provide oversight on child labour programmes while at the district level, Child labour Committees have been set up to implement programmes in a multi-sectoral approach.
She said Zambia has further ratified and domesticated a number of international standards and conventions through the promulgation of the Employment Code Act of 2019 which prohibits the worst forms of child labour in the country.
According to Press Secretary at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa Naomi Nyawali, Ms Tambatamba said this in a statement availed to the Press Office in Pretoria when she met Charge’d Affaires at the Mission in that country Audrey Simukoko.
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