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Solidarity message to the stop child labor Africa tour 2008
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
October 24, 2008

Teachers in Zimbabwe are cognizant of the interconnectedness of poverty, HIV/AIDS and child labour and their negative impact on the right of children to education. As we welcome and offer our solidarity to the STOP CHILD LABOUR AFRICA TOUR 2008, we want the tour delegates and the nation to be aware that several surveys on child labour carried out in Zimbabwe confirm that this social ill is a reality in our midst.

Zimbabweans know of countless children under 15 years who are employed as domestic servants, turning to gold panning, rushing for illegal diamond mining, working in farms, selling wares even late into the night at places likely to expose them to immoral activities, assisting disabled parents to beg, illegally crossing the border to work in neighboring countries, engaging in child prostitution and aiding the trafficking of illicit drugs.

While child labour practices are so glaring in the country, they have not featured prominently among other forms of child abuses which our society has stood sharp to fight. The STOP CHILD LABOUR AFRICA TOUR 2008 offers Zimbabwean stakeholders an opportune time to appreciate the significance of this social phenomenon and renew their commitment to eliminate it. As the nation's teachers, we are guided by the following cardinal points in our campaign against child labour:

• Combating child labour will increase our education's internal and external efficiency and will see the country moving towards the achievement of Education for All (EFA) goals and MDGs.
• Child labour is repetitive work and relies on low level skill, thus it is not productive work and does not therefore contribute to the competitiveness and productivity of our economy.
• It denies children of productive opportunities and choices in their adult life. After all the latent talents in children are unlikely to be exposed if they do not attend school.
• It creates a poll of a people desperate for a meaningful living and therefore a fertile ground for recruiting militias who can be used in political and armed conflicts.
• Because child labour is outlawed, it if often closely associated with other social ills and illegal activities.

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