WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR UPDATE

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000729

SIPDIS

DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER
DRL/IL FOR LAUREN HOLT


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI
SUBJECT: WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR UPDATE

REF: (A) 03 LILONGWE 909; (B) 04 LILONGWE 696; (C) 04

LILONGWE 821; (D) 04 STATE 163967; (E) STATE 143552


1. This is an update of reftel C as per reftel E request.

--------------
Child labor law enforcement
--------------

2. According to Paul Gondwe, the head of the child labor
control unit in the ministry of labor, seven employers
have been prosecuted and convicted over the past year.
None of the convicted employers (most of them farm
owners) received a custodial sentence but rather paid
fines of between US$60 and US$100. These cases involved
small children herding cattle and working in tobacco
estates. Post believes that, in view of Malawi's low
income levels (average $170 per year) and correspondingly
low monetary fines, the imposed sentences were stiff
enough to deter others.

-------------- --------------
New developments in the fight against child labor
-------------- --------------

3. Ministry of Labor has prepared and published a
National Code of Conduct on Child Labor. The booklet was
published on November 29, 2004, and the ministry has
placed one press release in the local press to publicize
its contents. Gondwe stated that his ministry plans to
translate the code of conduct into local languages. As
resources allow, the code of conduct will be distributed
to all farm owners who are the major culprits in child
labor.


4. To strengthen the fight against child labor, the
Ministry of Labor, in collaboration with workers and
employers, has completed its work on a "hazardous work
schedule" that is now awaiting final review. Once
approved, this schedule will be appended to Employment
Act No.6 of 2000. The schedule details all work that is
considered hazardous and not for persons below the age of

18. (Minimum legal age for non-hazardous work is 14 in
Malawi).

-------------- -
Efforts to combat child trafficking succeeding
-------------- -

5. According to Justin Hamela, Project Coordinator for
the Stop Harming and Exploiting Children project, a
number of cases have been reported where children have
been trafficked from one town to another, particularly
from villages to town on promise of a good job. The
children are often orphans or from broken homes.
Interventions have paid off in some cases, and a total of
14 children have been retrieved and repatriated in the
past year. The establishment of child protection workers
in the rural areas has contributed significantly to this
success. These are voluntary workers but get paid small
honoraria through a project supported by UNICEF.

-------------- --
Capacity Building for fight against child labor
-------------- --

6. Ministry of Labor has conducted three refresher
courses for its 150 child labor inspectors and its
district and community labor committees. In addition, 77
child labor youth activists have been given training on
child labor using the just-developed child labor code of
conduct. These 77 youth activists have also received
bicycles through a project funded by NORAD through
UNICEF.


7. Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community
Services has trained 240 child protection workers
throughout the country. This has been possible through
financial assistance from the Nordic Agency for
Development under the "Stop Harming and Exploiting the
Children Project." This project has three components--
prevention, protection and rehabilitation--and targets
street children, children with disabilities and children
in danger of abuse. It is also working with local NGOs by
providing resources for working with local communities.


8. GoM has set aside about US$60,000 in the FY05/06
budget to support ministry of labor conduct civic
education campaigns on child labor and to buy office
equipment for district labor inspectors. This is the
first time a specific amount has been put in the budget
for child labor monitoring activity.

EASTHAM