Malawi has become the 31st country to join the African Movement of Working Children and Youth (AMWCY), a child-led organization focused on protecting and promoting children’s rights.
The movement, founded in 1994 in the Ivory Coast, aims to support children employed in various sectors who are prone to abuse.
AMWCY Malawi Chapter Patron Henderson Mhango emphasized the need to address child exploitation.
“Children are being exploited in many ways; you go in markets you find children selling commodities during school hours and others are working in estates with little or no pay, so this movement will help to address those verses,” Mhango said.
Sangwani Vanessa Mulubwa, a movement member from Zambia, highlighted AMWCY’s objective.
“A right is something that one is born with, so we are here to promote the rights of children mainly those who are working,” Mulubwa explained.
She stressed the importance of protecting children’s rights through policy changes and ensuring a balance between work and school.
“We want to see that rights of children are protected by lobbying authorities to come up with policies that aim at protecting the rights of children.”
Mulubwa further emphasized the movement’s goals.
“We want to be a balance for children between work and school; they should be given safe places for work, not in bars and bottle stores where they can be abused and harassed.”
Through AMWCY, Mulubwa hopes that children in Malawi will receive justice and be able to stand up for their rights.
“We want to introduce a network where children will be able to stand and speak when their rights have been infringed.”
The launch of AMWCY in Malawi coincides with a recent police operation in Chileka, Blantyre, where 42 children aged 9-16 were rescued from child labor.
Sergeant Jonathan Phillipo, Chileka Police Public Relations Officer, said, “The operation aims to combat child labor and exploitation.”
Four perpetrators were arrested for alleged child labor and infringement of child rights.
Globally, child labor remains a pressing concern, with 218 million children aged 5-17 engaged in exploitative work.
The International Labor Organization aims to eliminate child labor by 2025.
