Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Malawi (Ratification: 1999)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report contains no reply to its previous comments. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments.

Repetition

Articles 3 and 7 of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour and penalties. Clause (a). All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery. Sale and trafficking of children. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that section 179(1) of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act provides that a person who takes part in any transaction involving child trafficking is liable to life imprisonment. The Committee observed, however, that according to section 2(d) of the same Act, a “child” means a person below the age of 16 years. The Committee reminded the Government that by virtue of Article 3(a) of the Convention, member States are required to prohibit the sale and trafficking of all children under 18 years of age.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it has taken note of this observation and that this matter will be taken up with the Malawi Law Commission. The Government further indicates that it will provide information on the application in practice of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act in subsequent reports, since the Act has only recently come into force. The Committee further notes that, according to the concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee of 18 June 2012, in consideration of the reports submitted under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR/C/MWI/CO/1, paragraph 15), Malawi has drafted an anti-trafficking bill which should be considered by Parliament soon. The Committee accordingly once again urges the Government to take immediate measures to ensure that the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act is amended to extend the prohibition of sale and trafficking to cover all children under the age of 18, as a matter of urgency, and to ensure that the anti-trafficking bill prohibits the sale and trafficking of all children under the age of 18, and is adopted as soon as possible. The Committee also, once again, requests the Government to provide information on the application in practice of this Act, as well as of the anti-trafficking bill once adopted, including in particular, statistics on the number and nature of violations reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penal sanctions imposed.

Clause (b). Use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the Government’s statement in its report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of 17 July 2008, that, while there are no data available on the number of children involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution and pornography, these are recognized problems in the country (CRC/C/MWI/2, paragraph 323). In this regard, it noted that section 87(1)(d) of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act only provides that a social welfare officer who has reasonable grounds to believe that a child is being used for the purposes of prostitution or immoral practices, may remove and temporarily place the child in a place of safety. The Committee reminded the Government that Article 3(b) of the Convention requires member States to prohibit the use, procuring or offering of a child under 18 years for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances.

The Committee once again notes the Government’s indication that it will endeavour to include the prohibition against the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances, in the labour laws currently under review. The Government also indicates that, meanwhile, the Censorship Board is doing its best to censor pornography. However, the Committee must once again express its deep concern at the continued lack of regulation to prohibit the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and once again draws the Government’s attention to its obligation under Article 1 to take immediate measures to prohibit the worst forms of child labour, as a matter of urgency. The Committee accordingly, once again, urges the Government to take the necessary measures, as a matter of urgency, to ensure the adoption of national legislation prohibiting the use, procuring or offering of both boys and girls under 18 years of age, for the purpose of prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances, and to include sufficiently effective and dissuasive sanctions in this legislation. It requests the Government to provide information on the progress made in this regard with its next report.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clauses (a) and (b). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour and providing assistance for the removal of children from these types of work and for their rehabilitation and social integration. Children engaged in hazardous work in commercial agriculture, particularly tobacco estates. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the CRC, in its concluding observations of 27 March 2009, expressed concern that many children between 15–17 are engaged in work that is considered as hazardous, especially in the tobacco and tea estate sector, which continues to be a major source of child labour (CRC/C/MWI/CO/2, paragraph 66). The Committee noted the Government’s information that labour inspections were undertaken in the tobacco sector, to help withdraw children from this sector, to rehabilitate and then to send them back to school. It further noted that it is indicated in the National Action Plan (NAP) on Child Labour that the agricultural sector, including tobacco plantations and family farms, constitutes one of its sectoral priorities, as it accounts for 53 per cent of child labour in the country.

The Committee notes that, according to the 2011 surveys conducted in Mzimba, Mulanje and Kasungu, child labour continues to be dominated by the agricultural sector. In Mzimba, 36.6 per cent of the interviewed children worked in agriculture; and in Mulanje and Kasungu, 23 per cent and 20.4 per cent of the interviewed children respectively had worked in a plantation, farm or garden. All three surveys reported that these children often worked in hazardous conditions without protective gear, and with hazardous equipment such as hoes, ploughs, saws, sickles, panga knives and sprayers. Expressing its concern at the number of children engaged in hazardous work in agriculture, the Committee once again urges the Government to strengthen its efforts to protect children from hazardous work in this sector, in particular in tobacco plantations, through measures taken within the framework of the NAP on Child Labour. In this regard, it once again requests the Government to provide concrete information on the number of children who have been thus prevented or withdrawn from engaging in this type of hazardous work, and then rehabilitated and socially integrated.

Clause (e). Special situation of girls. The Committee previously noted that, according to the Malawi Child Labour Survey of 2002, all the child victims of commercial sexual exploitation were girls. Half of these girls had lost both of their parents, while 65 per cent of them did not attend school past the second year. The Committee also noted that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), in its concluding observations of 5 February 2010, expressed concern at the extent to which women and girls are involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution, and the limited statistical data regarding these issues (CEDAW/C/MWI/CO/6, paragraph 24). It therefore requested the Government to provide information on the measures taken to protect girls under the age of 18 from commercial sexual exploitation.

The Committee once again urges the Government to strengthen its efforts to prevent girls under the age of 18 from becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation, and to remove and rehabilitate victims of this worst form of child labour, within the framework of the NAP on Child Labour or otherwise. It once again requests the Government to provide information on the concrete measures taken in this regard, as well as information on the impact of these measures, with its next report. To the extent possible, all information provided should be disaggregated by age and sex.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.