Tue, 13 Jun 2017 13:41:07 +0000
By ANNIE ZULU
CHILD Labour ambassador Samson Mutambo has called on parents and guardians to stop child labour and pay more attention to the welfare of children.
Commenting on the celebration of the 2017 World Day Against Child Labour yesterday, Mr Mutambo said child labour was a crime against humanity as it kept the child away from all benefits of childhood, which was about the happiest and most memorable period in the life of a human-being.
According to him, the non-eradication of the illegal act interfered with the child’s right to basic education, making them vulnerable and a social liability to the country.
“Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of the joy of childhood; interferes with their ability to attend regular schools, which is mentally, physically, socially and morally dangerous and harmful to the society. This practice is considered exploitative.
“Every child should enjoy childhood when they must live in the love and care of their parents and guardians. However, this illegal act of child labour forces the child to live like an adult.
“It causes untold emotional pains for the child and leads to unhealthy and unbalanced development of the mind, as well as social and intellectual backwardness,” Mr Mutambo said. He added that healthy children were the future and power-house of any country, stressing that engaging in child labour amounted to spoiling and destroying the future of the children and the country.
Mr Mutambo further enjoined parents and guardians to always extend love to their children, ensure school enrolment for them and ensure that they grew up with good memories of childhood.
June 12 every year is set aside as World Day Against Child Labour, to raise awareness on the plight of child labourers across the world.
