Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Monday, October 28, 2002
One in five Zambians is living with HIV/AIDS, a pandemic that has orphaned 800,000 children in the past 18 years. Zambia is also one of six southern African countries facing severe food shortages.
Chilufya Siwale, the ILO's program manager for child labor, said the twin crises had forced many Zambian children into jobs to try to scrape together a living for their families.
"Some crush stones, while others work as domestic servants for more than 10 hours per day and are only paid $8 per month," Siwale told Reuters.
"Zambian laws are weak and do not protect the rights of children.
"There are many children working in very poor and dangerous conditions despite the laws stipulating that children below 14 years should not be engaged in any form of employment."
Siwale said many children were forced into labor because AIDS had killed their parents, turning them into breadwinners.
ILO country project coordinator Mpala Nkonkomalimba said hunger had exacerbated the problem of child-labor.
The United Nations' World Food Program estimates that three million Zambians will need food aid through March 2003 as part of efforts to tackle a wider regional crisis, which analysts blame on drought and mismanagement.
The government slaps fines of up to $650 on anyone found guilty of employing children. But Nkonkomalimba said the penalties were not stiff enough to deter child labor.
The ILO is working with non-governmental organizations and Zambian authorities to teach older children skills such as brick-laying, carpentry and tailoring to help them get safer jobs. It is also trying to get younger children back to school.
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