By Giwa SHILE
The Mozambican Government said on Tuesday in Maputo that about 1.5 million children and juveniles aged between seven and 17 years in that country are exposed to hazardous work, mostly in informal sectors.
City Director of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Jafar Buana said the numbers of children involved in hazardous work that the government keeps track of are extremely high, reaching 74.4 per cent at the national level.
Buana disclosed this during a school presentation about works considered dangerous for children on the outskirts of Maputo.
“The action will be done at the sectoral level, because the involvement of children is distributed in sectors, with the largest number of children in the informal sectors and the illegal mining,” said Buana.
Buana said in Mozambique children have hazardous jobs that can affect their health, safety and morality, mainly from sectors such as agriculture, mining industry, informal commerce and transportation.
Izilda Maibaze, an official from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Affairs, said measures have already been taken to remove children from dangerous working condition, in coordinated with various civil society organisations.
“The children are taken to facilities where they are recuperated and later they will be reintegrated into their families,” said Maibaze, adding that some children are reluctant to leave.
According to the presentation, sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest number of children involved in child labour worldwide.
