MALAWI CONFERENCE ON CHILD

LABOUR IN AGRICULTURE

Ministry of Labour

Malawi Crossroads Hotel, Lilongwe, 5-6th Sept. 2012

Bringing together government, labour, business, farmers, civil society,

international supporters and children to focus on solutions to child labour in

agriculture in Malawi and make the Child Labour National Action Plan a

reality

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The urgent fight against child labour in agriculture

Background

In many countries child labour is principally an agricultural issue. ILO

estimates that globally, 60 percent of all child labourers in the age

group 5 - 17 years work in agriculture, including farming, fishing,

aquaculture, forestry, and livestock1. This amounts to over 129 million

girls and boys

undertaking work that is

damaging to their

mental, physical and

emotional development.

The vast majority of

child labourers are

working on farms and

plantations, sowing,

cultivating, weeding and

harvesting crops,

spraying pesticides, fishing on vessels and in aquaculture, and tending

livestock as paid or unpaid labour. These boys and girls play an

important role in supplying some of the food and drink we consume,

and the fibers and raw materials we use to make other products. Child

labour in agriculture is not limited to export commodities such as

cocoa/chocolate, coffee, tea, sugar, fruits and vegetables, tobacco and

cotton, but it is often a feature of subsistence and small scale

agriculture whose produce is marketed locally.

1 ILO: Accelerating action against child labour – Global Report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on

Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work 2010 (Geneva, 2010).

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Another important feature of child

labour is that it is also associated

with very early entry into work,

sometimes between 5 and 7 years of

age. It is therefore not surprising that

agriculture is one of the three most

dangerous sectors in terms of work-

related fatalities, non-fatal accidents

and occupational diseases for

children. About 59 percent (or 70

million) of all children in hazardous

work aged 5–17 years are in

agriculture globally.

2 http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i2008e/i2008e07.pdf

Box 1 What is child labour?2

A child is defined as any person under 18 years of age. Child labour is defined based on a child’s age, hours

and conditions of work, activities performed and the hazards involved. Child labour is work that interferes with compulsory schooling and damages health and personal development.

Especially in the context of family farming and other rural family endeavours, it is important to recognize that

some participation of children in non-hazardous activities can be positive as it contributes to the inter-

generational transfer of skills and children’s food security.

The ILO Minimum Age for Employment Convention No. 138 (1973) (ratified by 156 countries) sets the

minimum age for children to work at 15 years of age in general (the convention allows for certain flexibilities in specific circumstances). For work considered hazardous, the age is 18.

The ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182 (1999) (ratified by 173 countries) defines

worst forms of child labour as all forms of slavery, trafficking of children, forced recruitment for armed conflict, use of children in illicit activities, sexual exploitation, and

hazardous work. Hazardous work should be listed nationally. It is work which, by its nature or the

circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

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Child labour persists in the agricultural sector even where it has been

outlawed. Progress in eliminating child labour in agriculture has been

slow due to the sector specificities. Limited coverage of agriculture

and family undertakings in national labour legislations, limited

unionization, fragmentation of the labour force, low capacity of labour

inspectors to cover remote rural areas, majority of child labourers

working as unpaid family labour without formal contracts, continuity

between rural household and the workplace, and traditions of children

participating in agricultural activities from a young age, make the

problem difficult to address.

It is widely accepted that agriculture needs to become a priority area

in child labour elimination if the United Nations Millennium

Development Goals and Education for All goals are to be achieved.

Ironically, if the MDGs and EFA are not achieved, child labour will

persist and may actually increase.

Malawi Conference on child labour in agriculture

According to the latest ILO estimates, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only

region where the number of children in employment actually

increased: from 49.3 million in 2004 to 58.2 million in 2008 (with an

increase in the activity rate from 26.4 to 28.4 percent). It is widely

acknowledged that this trend is due to the centrality of agriculture on

the economies of sub-Saharan countries.

In Malawi, agriculture is the backbone of the economy, providing

livelihood for 80% of Malawians and forming important

complementarities between production of cash and food crops. This

alone makes agriculture by far the most important economic activity

in the country. It is therefore no surprise that 53.5% of all child

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labourers in Malawi are in agriculture (including farming, forestry,

hunting and fishing)3.

The subsistence nature of agricultural production in Malawi suggests

that much power-driven equipment, sustainable crop processing

technologies and the cost of finance are beyond the reach of most

small-scale farmers. The

consequence is that in

order to expand their

production, farmers rely

on cheap child labour.

Often a whole family is

involved in cultivation and

harvesting. The main

drivers for child labour in

Malawi include:

Poverty;

The land tenure system;

Orphanhood; and

Lack of access to affordable quality education;

The Government of Malawi recognizes that agriculture needs to

become a priority area in child labour elimination at national and

sectoral level. For agricultural and rural development to be

sustainable, it cannot be based on the exploitation of children. On the

contrary, it should aim to create decent work opportunities. With this

aim, the Malawi Government has worked in partnership with the

International Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for

Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Food Policy 3 Malawi Child Labour Survey. 2002.

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Research Institute (IFPRI) of the Consultative Group on International

Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the International Federation of

Agricultural Producers (IFAP) and International Union of Food,

Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied

Workers Associations (IUF) to identify priority actions to address

child labour in agriculture in Malawi in the context of the National

Action Plan (NAP).

The Malawi Child Labour Conference builds on the work of

the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour

in Agriculture in Malawi by bringing together government,

social partners, business, civil society and most importantly,

children, to contribute to a roadmap for implementing the

agricultural component of the Child Labour National Action

Plan for Malawi [2010-2016]

Building on the work of the International Partnership for Cooperation

on Child Labour in Agriculture in Malawi, the Malawi National Child

Labour Conference seeks to exchange knowledge on innovative

solutions to promote child labour elimination and decent work for

adults as part of sustainable agriculture. By incorporating the voice of

children, civil society and the private sector interests, the child labour

conference adopts multi-sectoral approach to developing a roadmap

for the implementation of the agricultural component of the NAP.

Malawi Taskforce

In the spirit of promoting tripartism and social dialogue in addressing

child labour in agriculture in Malawi, the Ministry of Labour formed a

taskforce comprising of, among others, UNICEF, Save the Children

Malawi, the Tea Association, Illovo Sugar Limited, FAO, the Ministry

of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Education, Limbe

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Leaf Tobacco Company, AllianceOne Tobacco, Japan Tobacco

International, Premium TAMA Tobacco Limited, Malawi Congress of

Trade Unions and Employers Consultative Association of Malawi.

The Malawi Taskforce has been at the forefront of steering the

preparations for the Malawi Child Labour Conference. The ILO, with

financial support from the Geneva-based Eliminating Child Labour in

Tobacco Growing (ECLT) Foundation, provided technical and policy

support to the Malawi Taskforce.

Child participation

To ensure genuine and

meaningful consultation

of children4 in line with

Article 12 of the United

Nations Convention on

the Rights of the Child5

(UNCRC) and in

recognition of the right

of the child to

participation as further

covered under Article 4

of the African Charter on

the Rights and Welfare of the Child6, a children’s conference will be

held to inform the main conference deliberations and conclusions

thereof.

4 Malawi has ratified both the UNCRC and the ACRWC 5 States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express

those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance

with the age and maturity of the child. 6 In all actions concerning the child undertaken by any person or authority the best interests of the child shall be

the primary consideration.

2. In all judicial or administrative proceedings affecting a child who is capable of communicating his/her own

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Conference Theme

The conference will run under the theme ‘End child labour in

agriculture! Our children, our future’.

Objectives of the Malawi National Child Labour Conference

1. To exchange and share good practices on the elimination of

child labour in agriculture;

2. To share and adopt or endorse prioritized actions to better

integrate child labour in

agriculture in Malawi in

the context of the

National Action Plan;

and

3. To contribute to a

roadmap, with specific

commitments,

responsibilities and

concrete actions and

milestones for the

implementation and

realization of the

agriculture component

of the Child Labour National Action Plan for Malawi by 2016.

views, and opportunity shall be provided for the views of the child to be heard either directly or through an

impartial representative as a party to the proceedings, and those views shall be taken into consideration by the

relevant authority in accordance with the provisions of appropriate law.

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Expected outcomes of the Malawi Child Labour Conference

1. Best practices

from various agricultural

sectors inform the Roadmap

for the elimination of child

labour in agriculture in

Malawi within the context of

the Child Labour National

Action Plan for Malawi

[2010-2016]; and

2. Commitment of

government, social partners,

business and civil society to

mutually reinforcing specific

actions, timelines and

responsibilities for the

realization of the agricultural

component of the Child

Labour National Action Plan

for Malawi [2010-2016].

Logistics

The work of organizing for the Malawi Child Labour Conference is

underway, with several processes being finalized. The event will take

place at Crossroads Hotel, Lilongwe, Malawi, from 5th

to 6th

September, 2012. Pre-consultative meetings to formally conclude the

social dialogue processes and the Children’s training workshop will

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take place between 0830hrs and 1430 hrs on 4th September 2012. The

official opening and reception will be held on that day (4th September

2012) at 1500 hrs.

It is anticipated that 250 participants (possibly up to 300) will attend

the conference, including children, invited speakers and observers.

The conference will include participants from within and outside

Malawi.

The conference working language is English.

A draft budget has been drawn on the basis of an anticipated number

of 250 participants. Supported by the ECLT Foundation, the

conference budget provides for full board for all delegates for the

duration of the conference, and conference facilities. International

delegates are expected to fund their visa and travel expenses.

Delegates will be requested to register their participation and obtain

conference documents on the following link

http://www.malawichildlabourconference.com/ after 15th August 2012

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Official opening by HE Joyce Banda, President of the Republic of

Malawi

In a show of high-level political

commitment towards the issue of child

labour in agriculture in Malawi, the

President of the Republic of Malawi, HE

Joyce Banda, is scheduled to open the

Malawi Child Labour Conference on 4th

September 2012.

Her Excellency Joyce Banda,

President of the Republic of

Malawi

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Draft Programme

Day 1 Preconsultative meetings (0800hrs – 1430hrs)

Formal closure of consultations: facilitated by ECAM and MCTU.

Children’s preparatory workshop: facilitated by the Ministry of

Gender and Children’s Affairs, Save the Children, Plan International,

YONECO and UNICEF.

Day 1 Official Opening and reception (1500 hrs – 1930 hrs).

Official opening

Address by a representative of the International

Partnership on Cooperation on Child Labour in

Agriculture in Malawi

Address by President of ECAM, Mr. Buxton Kayuni

Address by the President of MCTU, Mr. Luther

Mambala

Address by the ILO/ UN Resident Representative

Address by the President of the ECLT Foundation

Address by US Department of Labour Representative

Address by the Minister of Labour, Hon. Makangala,

MP

Official Opening by Her Excellency Mrs. Joyce

Banda, the President of the Republic of Malawi

o Drinks and snacks, entertainment.

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Day 2 5th

September 2012 (full day 0800 to 1700 hours)

Setting the tone

Welcome remarks, restatement of conference structure and objectives

by Conference Chairman. Presentation of technical reports.

Parallel Workshops

The stakeholders in Malawi have developed research and working

papers on themes that are relevant to child labour in agriculture in

Malawi. The research papers are discussion-starters, highlighting

what works in ending child labour in Malawi, the key areas of concern

and the key messages for action by different actors to end child labour

in agriculture in Malawi. The themes are:

The nature and complexity of child labour in Malawi;

Agricultural development and child labour in Malawi;

The role of stakeholders in combating child labour in

agriculture Malawi; and

Child labour and political will in Malawi.

After presentations of a summary of thematic papers by Malawi

stakeholders, participants will break into four parallel workshops.

Each workshop will focus on one of the themes above. The parallel

workshops will focus on the key concerns in addressing child labour

in agriculture in Malawi today, and will bring to the discussion

different experiences and expertise from national and organizational

perspectives. The aim of each parallel workshop will be to transform

the key concern into key messages and plans of action for sustainable

responses to end child labour in agriculture in a time-bound, coherent,

comprehensive and sustainable manner.

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Each workshop will have a rapporteur whose role is to summarize the

deliberations of each workshop and present to the plenary.

Sectoral strategies

The key agricultural sub-sectors in Malawi, including tobacco, tea,

sugar, fisheries and livestock will break into sub-sectoral groups to

discuss in detail the child labour situation in their supply chains, map

out strategies and priorities in line with the National Action Plan on

Child Labour in Malawi.

The reports of the 4 parallel workshops and sub-sectoral strategies will

be presented in plenary, discussed and commented on by experts,

advocates and stakeholders to support the development of the

outcome document of the conference and update the List of Priority

Actions for better addressing child labour in Agriculture in

Malawi.

Day 3 6th

of September 2012 (Half day)

Plenary discussion, recommendations and conclusions

Summary of the discussions and way forward – ILO

This session provides a summary of the conference outcomes and the

agenda for taking the conference resolutions forward.

Adoption of the List of Priority Actions for better addressing child

labour in Agriculture in Malawi

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The International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in

Agriculture, with the input of the Government of Malawi, has already

produced a draft document that will be updated with sub-sectoral

priorities at the Malawi Child Labour

Conference.

Presentation of the outcome document

on collective commitments to end child

labour in agriculture in Malawi – PS of

Labour

This session will present the conference

communique on collective commitments

to end child labour in agriculture in

Malawi – Min of Labour

Closing ceremony – Minister of Labour

This will mark the official closing of the conference.

For more information, contact:

Government of Malawi, Ministry of Labour

Linda Kawamba - Industrial Relations Specialist

Mail : lindizga@yahoo.com

Phone : +265 88 4 340 206

Paul Mkupa Gondwe - Head of Child Labour Unit

Mail : paulmkupagondwe@yahoo.com

Phone : +265 999 510 762

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Conference supported by:

Working together to end child labour in tobacco growing

14 rue Jacques Dalphin

Carouge

1227 Geneva

Switzerland

Website: www.eclt.org

Email: eclt@eclt.org Phone + 41 (0) 22 306 14 44

Technical and policy support provided by:

4 route des Morillons

CH-1211 Genève 22

Switzerland

Switchboard: +41 (0) 22 799 6111

Fax: +41 (0) 22 798 8685

Website: www.ilo.org

E-mail: ilo@ilo.org