Story by John Nhandara

Zimbabwe is set to participate at the global conference on eliminating child labour which gets underway this Monday in Kigali, Rwanda.

A five-member delegation from Zimbabwe left the country this Sunday for the global conference.

The conference will run for five days and is meant to come up with measures of eliminating the exploitation of children through any form of labour.

Coalition Against Child labour in Zimbabwe project officer Esnath Ngandini said, “It’s a global gathering and we are trying as much as we can to exchange ideas and these children will bring more information through advocacy, awareness and lobby campaings from what they will have learnt. Africa is one of the major countries affected by child laboour, for example, the sub Saharan region consists of 26 percent of child labourers in the world, hence our participation.”

The conference also seeks to ensure stakeholders strengthen social protection systems while giving a platform to the children to get a better understanding of the different forms of child exploitation.

“Child labour deprives minors of their fundamendal right, so I think with the background I have in our society, I will be able to contribute in eradicating child labour,” noted a participant, Tanatswa Gwenhamo.

Another participant, Shekinah Mutonga said she is looking forward to the conference where they will get ideas on how to elimante child labour.

According to International Labour Organisation, more than 160 million children are involved in child labour worldwide.