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MEET THE COALITION, FIGHTING AGAINST CHILD LABOUR IN TANZANIA - By Ophelie Lawson In Tanzania, children who suffer with poverty are neglected, exploited and their rights are easily violated as the majority are from disadvantaged families and minority groups. Often, they carry adult responsibilities like being the head of the family and being responsible for taking care of their parents and grandparents, grandparents who might also be extremely ill. To make money for the family, they usually have to work in horrible and dangerous areas. Whether it be having to sell goods on the street, all day long, or having to work in the field. This can affect their physical and mental development physically. The issue of child labour in Tanzania is, according to local organisation working against child labour, not well addressed. It has not been recognised as a priority by the governments. MEET THE COALITION The Tanzania Coalition Against Child Labour was first initiated in April 2021, motivated by the worldwide effort to eliminate child labour, with a heartfelt concern for the children of their country. “There are children here, you can see them in the streets, they are always here. They do not go to school nor receive an education. Instead, they are having to sell goods to make money for their family. Some come into town during the day to work, some just live in the streets” says Schola, the founder of the coalition. The coalition stand strong with children and believes in saved them from the worst forms of child labour. Schola said, “we were motivated and excited to bring change in our own societies and the global community in general. Unfortunately, in Tanzania, the fight against child labour has not been a priority yet” Redefining Child labour - What is child labour? The term “child labour” is often defined as ‘work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially and/or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and/or interferes with their education and deprives them of the opportunity to attend school. Whether or not particular forms of “work” are seen as “child labour” depending on the child’s age, the type
and hours of work performed, the conditions and the country. In Tanzania, for many the term ‘child labour’ is very confusing as the global definition of child labour doesn’t necessarily apply in an African context, more specifically a Tanzanian context. One of the coalition’s main objectives is to start a national dialogue. How can Tanzanians come together to find a definition of child labour that would work in their current context? “Our concern and dedication to this coalition are based on the fact that Child Labour is a global issue that needs strong team play to fight against it. The latest Global Estimates indicate that 160 million that are in child labour are in hazardous work that directly endangers their health, safety, and moral development.” said Schola. Schola asked, “a child that is helping their parents at the weekend to make ends meet, would you consider that to be child labour? Or a child that is not getting an education because he had to work in the field to make money in order for his family to survive ? How do we as a country make sure that it is not the burden of the child to provide for its family?”. “We hope for a better future of every child to stop child labour so that every child can have the opportunity to go to school, to play and to reach their goals”, he said. Majority of working children are despised and, in some cases, even sexually abused. Sometimes it even goes as far as them being separated from their parents to go to work or being kidnapped to work in fields. Majority of children are paid less, or not paid at all. In some cases, they are also sued and imprisoned for claiming their wages. “For a long time, Tanzania has been backward and out of the international conversation on child labour mostly to the grassroot level. We want to bring change to our country and join the global community in their effort to eradicate child labour.”, said Schola. In June, the coalition organised for the second time in a row, the World Against Child Labour. “Our aim is to push the country and politicians to plan strategically to eradicate this issue as well as the international organisations”, Schola concluded.
