30 Jun 2022

Botswana is on the verge of undertaking a nationwide survey to assess issues of child labour.

The survey would address child labour matters which were a major concern worldwide, explained a Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs official, Mr Claude Mojafi at a press conference in Gaborone Monday.

Mr Mojafi, who is the ministry’s labour advisor, said the survey would inform strategies for addressing issues of concern.

He said the ministry periodically conducted inspections where questions on child labour were posed.

There had not been any alarming information, he stated.

Mr Mojafi said the only major problem encountered was inadequate capacity to cover all workplaces.

“The issue has been discussed at length and it was resolved that employees and employers should form bargaining committees to discuss issues and resolve them,” said Mr Mojafi.

Earlier, labour minister, Ms Annah Mokgethi had briefed the media on the 5th global conference on elimination of child labour held in Durban, South Africa May 15-20.

She said the conference’s goal was to accelerate progress on ending child labour after years of reversal due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global vulnerabilities.

Ms Mokgethi revealed that the conference came up with the Durban Call to Action, which included six commitments.

Among them were the need to end child labour in agriculture which she said could be done through increasing investment in the economic and social development of rural areas as a strategy for reducing poverty.

Another commitment, the minister said, was to strengthen the prevention and elimination of child labour, including its worst forms such as forced labour, modern slavery and trafficking in persons and the protection of survivors through data-driven and survivor-informed policy and programmatic responses.

Ms Mokgethi said there was a call to realise children’s right to education by ensuring universal access to free, compulsory, quality, equitable and inclusive education.

Yet another commitment was the need for social protection, increased financing and international cooperation for the elimination of child and forced labour, she said. ENDS