‘800 000 still involved in child labour’

JOHANNESBURG: More than 800 000 children are still involved in child labour, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant said yesterday.

“The number of children involved in child labour seems to have fallen over the years.

“But this is cold comfort as the number of children affected still remains unacceptably high at an estimated 821 000,” she said in a speech prepared for delivery.

Oliphant was speaking at an event to observe National Day Against Child Labour in Bad- plaas, Mpumalanga.

She said the day should serve as a sign of the department’s commitment to stopping all forms of child labour.

South Africa had adopted a child labour programme of action to help prevent, reduce, and eventually eliminate the problem, Oliphant said.

“Since the first adoption of the programme, our country has made significant strides towards achieving this goal. There has been a significant expansion of measures to relieve household poverty which is the main driver of child labour.

“Legislation to address child labour has also been strengthened substantially and social grants were increased.”

In a 2010 Statistics SA survey, it was found that girls were more likely than boys to be affected by child labour. In 2006, gender made little difference.

The third global conference on child labour will be held in Brazil in October. – Sapa