Due to Zimbabwe’s deteriorating economy, droughts, famine and cholera outbreaks, children are susceptible to child labor in Zimbabwe. According to the U.S. Department of Labor 2019 report on child labor, 40.4% of 5- to 14-year-olds in Zimbabwe partake in child labor. These forms of child labor include mining, tobacco production, human trafficking, harvesting of sugarcane and labor in agriculture. 

Despite laws in Zimbabwe to combat child labor, research has shown no evidence that labor law force agencies have enforced such laws. Despite the setbacks that Zimbabwe faces in combating poverty, many organizations have taken the initiative to end child labor in Zimbabwe. 

CACLAZ/ANPPCAN

CACLAZ/ANPPCAN engaged all stakeholders and partners in Epworth, Zimbabwe in a workshop to teach and enhance their knowledge of child labor issues and child rights. It created a team of district child protection committees, teachers and various NGOs to communicate child labor issues in Zimbabwe as well as identify gaps in the child protection system of Zimbabwe. 

The goal for CACLAZ/ANPPCAN is to create a “child labor-free zone,” which is “possible with the use of an area-based approach that needs every individual and organization’s effort to create a norm that every child should be at school and not at work.” The organization was successful in developing 76 child labor-free zones around the world including Zimbabwe and managed to lift 10,000 children out of labor or prevent them from dropping out of school. 

The Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC)

Another organization working to end child labor in Zimbabwe is the Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC). ZNCWC is the body of the child rights sector in Zimbabwe and seeks to work with other organizations that also work in the child rights sector of Zimbabwe. ZNCWC partnered with an organization known as Save the Children Zimbabwe (SCZ) to implement a project titled Child’s Right Governance. The goal of the project was to write the Civil Society Supplementary Report to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The report shared insights into Nepal’s efforts to implement child labor laws and how it lays the groundwork for child rights globally. The Child’s Right Governance project also allowed for the implementation of child advocacy efforts across Zimbabwe. 

The ILO

According to the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (ZIMSTAT)’s Labour Force and Child Labor Survey, children’s roles as laborers has increased for the first time in 20 years. This is due to school closures during the COVID-19 lockdown in Zimbabwe, putting vulnerable children at greater risk for labor. About 50,000 children in Zimbabwe were in labor and these conditions worsened after COVID-19, showing only 40% of children continued engaging in formal education. The ILO works in the country by supporting the government to create strong alliances to eradicate the increase of children in labor. The ILO works to increase global knowledge of the issue, empower vulnerable communities and promote public policies regarding labor among children in Zimbabwe. 

Looking Ahead

While children are still working as laborers in Zimbabwe, it is good to know that various projects are in place and making a difference. Through various organizations’ work, child labor should disappear.

– Yana Gupta
Photo: Flickr