By Achola Bulimo Math
Cases of forced child labour have been on the rise in Bungoma County as children have been used to perform heavy duties instead of being in school.
Stakeholders from Bungoma County held a four-day training that was sponsored by the Ministry of Labour in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO). The training was officially opened by the Assistant County Commissioner Mrs. Christine Chacha who pointed out that every individual has roles in efforts to eradicate cases of child labour in the Country.
Through the training, stakeholders were taken through different forms of child labour that the community needs to fight to enhance a free child labour society and fight against human trafficing.
Cases of children engaging as hawkers in the streets, sand harvesting and stone crushing in quarries have been reported and it is with this regard that the Government through the Ministry of Labour is educating the stakeholders on how to handle such kinds of cases.
Bungoma being near the Ugandan border, cases of Child trafficking have been rampan and while speaking to the press Mr. Andrew Odete, one of the Organizers from the International Labour Organization said that Kenya needs different stakeholders to be brought on board to rehabilitate and integrate survivors of violations.
“The government alone cannot identify and prosecute cases of child labour across the nation; we need a team of stakeholders to intervene in fighting this vice. We need law enforcement agencies working together with communities to provide shelter to survivors of such violations,” Odete said.
The ILO aims to attain its goal of strengthening the capacity of the government of Kenya and additional Sub-Saharan African countries to combat child labour, forced labour and violations of acceptable conditions of work.
The stakeholders were educated on different ways of addressing child Labour in the society,through creating awareness, empowering our children and establishment of functional rescue centre for the survivors will help curb child labour and Human trafficking.
