Child labour and modern slavery - on Labour Day

The labour movement in Norway is dealing with rather sophisticated challenges, and I find it interesting that the electronic version of Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) today only has a small article on "This is the way 1.May is celebrated throughout the world".

Looking through Malawian newspapers this morning gives a slightly different picture.  The President is marking the Labour Day through praising the value of work that contributes to development.  Commentaries are highlighting the workers as "building blocks" for development both in private and public sector, and their "welfare" is crucial to their production.  Little is mentioned about the conflict of interest between workers and business owners / investors.  This is in spite of on-going advocacy campaigns related to the mining industry, and struggles of the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions for "decent work".

My focus this Labour Day is on another category:  child workers and modern slavery.  Trafficking in children and young women is a significant problem in Malawi.

In Malawi, children are one of the vulnerable groups of people that are prone to child trafficking. With high poverty levels, orphan-hood due to HIV & AIDS, abuse, witchcraft and peer pressure there is an increase in the number of children being trafficked for different purpose within Malawi and to the neighboring countries. Perpetrators and even other trusted individuals, including parents, take advantage of their situation , abuse them and let them ending up being trafficked for cheap child labour, sale of their body organs and sexual exploitation.  This is the face of modern slavery.

Work is done to stem this trend.  Police has established "Victims Support Units", mandated to identify and rescue victims of trafficking and child labour.  NCA has lately engaged private sector in encouraging them to take responsibility to prevent and take actions to stop child labour and trafficking.  Two weeks ago we convened a conference together with the Congress of Trade Unions and with participants from the tourism, transport and agricultural sector.  It was confirmed that the problem is serious, and that they are ready to take serious steps.  We will follow the process.

The Salvation Army is engaged in identifying and rescuing trafficked children in Malawi and neighbouring countries. The town of Mchinji on the  Western border with Zambia is one of the major receiving districts of trafficked children on the borders of Malawi especially en route to Zambia and Mozambique.  The Salvation Army brings young survivors of trafficking to The Mchinji Anti-Child Trafficking Centre which they have run since October 2006. Norwegian Church Aid has been supporting the Centre since 2009. 

Rescued children attending school during their stay at Salvation Army Centre

The Centre receives the children, offers them psychological counseling, education and live-skills training.  In parallel the Centre contacts their home communities and their families, and attempts to create a conducive environment for the children to return to their families and communities.  They accompany the children and counsel the families as they resettle

 Joseph Paulo , a 12 year old Dedza boy was sold by some member of his family and dumped, in reality as a slave at a trading centre.  He was rescued by Police Victims Support Unit, placed in Salvation Army Centre and later returned to this family.

Dignified transition from slave-like child labour to safe re-entry into their families is worth while fighting for on Labour Day!