Child Labour Worries First Lady - by Wezi Tjaronda
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WINDHOEK - The First Lady Penehupifo Pohamba has warned against using young people as cheap labourers.
Pohamba made the remarks over the weekend at Osire Refugee Resettlement during the commemoration of World Refugee Day.
Her remarks follow reports that some youths from the settlement are employed in the labour-intensive charcoal industry and other businesses.
"As a mother, I would like to express my concern about the manner in which these youths are reportedly exploited by some farmers and businesses communities especially in the charcoal industry, to work as cheap labour," she said.
She said this was happening even though it is against constitutional provisions in Namibia for children to do work that are hazardous and interfere with their education.
She quoted Article 15 of the Constitution which says "No Children under the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine, save under conditions and circumstances regulated by an Act of Parliament".
According to the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, Namibia is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation.
"Namibian children are trafficked within the country for domestic servitude and forced agricultural labour, cattle herding, vending, and commercial sexual exploitation," the report says.
World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20 and is devoted to people that find themselves in foreign countries because of political instability in their countries of origin.
Osire Refugee resettlement is host to more than 8 000 refugees and asylum seeker from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.
Since January this year, Osire received 203 new arrivals from DRC, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Tanzania, Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda Guinea and Nigeria.
Before addressing the refugees and asylum seekers, the First Lady toured a number of facilities among them the clinic, women's centre, the schools, kindergarten and the youth centre, which is still being constructed.
Pohamba said she was happy the Government, UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) are doing a good job in caring for the refugees, despite the difficult global financial circumstances.
She noted that the settlement has basic material needs such as water, food and shelter.
Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration Rosalia Nghidinwa said as the day was being commemorated, it should inspire hope among refuges and asylum seekers that one day, they will return to their home countries and contribute to the economic reconstruction thereof.
The day was commemorated under the theme "Real People, Real Needs - Working Towards the World Without Refugees".
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Pohamba made the remarks over the weekend at Osire Refugee Resettlement during the commemoration of World Refugee Day.
Her remarks follow reports that some youths from the settlement are employed in the labour-intensive charcoal industry and other businesses.
"As a mother, I would like to express my concern about the manner in which these youths are reportedly exploited by some farmers and businesses communities especially in the charcoal industry, to work as cheap labour," she said.
She said this was happening even though it is against constitutional provisions in Namibia for children to do work that are hazardous and interfere with their education.
She quoted Article 15 of the Constitution which says "No Children under the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine, save under conditions and circumstances regulated by an Act of Parliament".
According to the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, Namibia is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation.
"Namibian children are trafficked within the country for domestic servitude and forced agricultural labour, cattle herding, vending, and commercial sexual exploitation," the report says.
World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20 and is devoted to people that find themselves in foreign countries because of political instability in their countries of origin.
Osire Refugee resettlement is host to more than 8 000 refugees and asylum seeker from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.
Since January this year, Osire received 203 new arrivals from DRC, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Tanzania, Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda Guinea and Nigeria.
Before addressing the refugees and asylum seekers, the First Lady toured a number of facilities among them the clinic, women's centre, the schools, kindergarten and the youth centre, which is still being constructed.
Pohamba said she was happy the Government, UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) are doing a good job in caring for the refugees, despite the difficult global financial circumstances.
She noted that the settlement has basic material needs such as water, food and shelter.
Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration Rosalia Nghidinwa said as the day was being commemorated, it should inspire hope among refuges and asylum seekers that one day, they will return to their home countries and contribute to the economic reconstruction thereof.
The day was commemorated under the theme "Real People, Real Needs - Working Towards the World Without Refugees".
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