By PASSY HAACHIZO –
A KABWE Home Based Care centre– DAKANA – has urged guardians of school-going children to ensure they protect them from any form of child labour which is currently on an increase.
DAKANA fully known as Dallas Abdul C-Gate Kaputula Nyirenda and Natuseko, executive director Julia Phiri said in an interview yesterday that it was sad that some forms of child labour are still in existence in some communities, which inhibit children from going to school.
Ms Phiri said the most common form of child labour that had persisted was crushing of stones and selling of plastics bags among others.
She said most of the victims were orphans who had no option, but to do whatever, they were told by those looking after them.
Ms Phiri also noted an upswing in the number of girls entering into marriages and those who dropped out of school without going back even after giving birth.
She however, said her organisation had launched a plan in December last year that would empower girls who wanted to go back to school and withdraw them from child labour in communities around Kabwe.
“Our organisation which was formed in 2003 and registered with Registrar of Societies in 2005 consist of 35 volunteers and six staff support vulnerable children by providing them with school fees psycho-social counseling and other school requisites,” she said.
Ms Phiri said the organisation’s initial aim was to support the chronically ill, at the time when HIV/AIDS was at its peak, but that it had now turned its attention to the plight of children facing different forms of child labour.
“I just want to take this opportunity to appeal to local business minds in Kabwe and elsewhere to support DAKANA to be able to prevent children from being spoiled as this will in turn affect our society when we have many irresponsible children among us,” she said.