Jessica Otey/ January 31, 2008/ 6:21 pm/ Labor Problems
Yesterday, a conference addressing child labor was held in Namibia in hopes of improving child labor laws. The Minister of Labor, Alpheus !Naruseb, wanted the country to take a good look at the jobs that children were employed in and consider whether they were hurtful or exploitative to their well-being.
In Namibia, many children are forced to work in the charcoal industry and as domestic servants. Many of these children are abused either verbally and/or physically but are often overlooked, especially those who are engaged in domestic work. The minister believes that it is really hard to enforce laws regarding these children because they are usually imprisoned in the house where they are employed.
In addition, it is extremely hard to enforce laws concerning child labor because the programs created to enforce the laws are relatively weak. Another reason is that different laws and pieces of legislation contradict each other. To be affective the laws need to be harmonized.
The prime minister has also made a commitment to enforce punishment for those who exploit children. Anyone found breaking a child labor law will be forced to pay a hefty fine or be sent to prison for four years.
When I found this article I was really excited that someone is finally trying to take a stand on exploitative child labor. It’s so sad that most countries are completely ignoring the problem because it is too complicated to deal with. I do still have doubts about the conference though. Just because the Minister of Labor says these things doesn’t mean that he will actually follow through. It’s one of those things that I’ll just have to see to believe.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200801300586.html
2 comments:
This article is very exciting for the welfare of children around the world. Finally someone is sticking up for children in the labor force. Everyone overlooks the exploitation of children as long as it benefits the larger society or economy. But this prime minister is acknowledging that child labor is harmful and goes beyond the face value of production equals profit.
I agree with Kimberly. Though I want the Prime Minister to follow through on what he is saying, we do not know what for sure will be done. However, the fact that someone in such a powerful position is taking a stand against child labor is wonderful. This may be their first step towards ending it all, though I beleive that this is still a long time away. Hopefully, people within the country, as well as onlooking countries, will hear of this new view of child labor. If so, it may become a popular feeling. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
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