News Items

By Kevin Mwachiro

“What is it? What is it? Is it poverty or ignorance?; Children labouring, each day that passes; Earning peanuts, denied education; Think about them, those in the fields;  Think about them, those in factories; Those at home, those on the streets; Those in bondage, those in pain; Our protection is at risk. Our hope is running low” The poem recited by two pupils from Nakiwogo Primary School in Entebbe Uganda, was a poignant reminder to the delegates about the issue they had gathered to discuss about child labour. 

MAY14 - Some 80 kilometres from the bright lights of the bustling Chiredzi town, off the main highway to Masvingo, lay the docile and rather concealed Ward 16 of rural Chiredzi. Tucked at the heart of the ward are two major primary schools, Masimbiti and Uswaushava, separated by about 20 kilometers of vast stretches of bare sun-baked land. The two institutions are the major education centres for the villagers of the dry area where poor rains and water shortages are perennial. (Report by Tapiwa Zivira from  NewsDay Zimbabwe)

After two days of visiting the Child Labour Free Zones in Uganda, yesterday, the official part of the Conference "Out of work, Into School - started. It was a day full positive energy and inspiring speeches. 

On April 22^nd and 24^th, two stakeholder meetings for the footwear industry will take place in India, in Agra and in Chennai. These meeting are a direct result of the Stop Child Labour Campaign ‘We want child friendly shoes!’.

The Stop Child Labour movement is growing from strength to strength.
April 16th - 19th, child rights defenders populated the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Members of European Parliament Ria Oomen-Ruijten, Esther de Lange (both Christan Democrat, EEP) and Thijs Berman (Social Democrat, S&D) together raised a number of follow-up questions to the European Commission about child labour in the leather footwear industry.