Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
| Ratified Convention 138 6/6/2000 |
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| Ratified Convention 182 12/11/2000 |
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| ILO-IPEC Associated Member |
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| National Plan for Children |
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| National Child Labor Action Plan |
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| Sector Action Plan |
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Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
The Zimbabwe Central Statistics Office estimated that 22.7 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years in Zimbabwe were working in 1999.[4314] Reliable data since then is unavailable, but with a more than 30 percent contraction of the economy and decline of most economic and social indicators, that figure has likely increased substantially. Children work in traditional and commercial farming, forestry and fishing, and domestic service.[4315] Children also work in small-scale mining, gold panning, quarrying, construction, very small industries, manufacturing, trade, restaurants, and as beggars.[4316] Over 90 percent of economically active children aged 5 to 17 reside in rural areas.[4317] There is evidence that the incidence of children working in commercial farming has decreased as farm laborers are evicted from large commercial farms seized through the government’s fast track land resettlement program, largely from white Zimbabweans. In addition, as the unemployment rate grows, fewer children are employed in formal industry. [4318] More children have joined the informal sector, often exposing them to other serious hazards.[4319]
In order to gain admittance into college, teacher training schools, or the civil service, the government frequently required that youth present a diploma from one of the National Youth Service training camps. The purpose of the training camps as stated was to instill a sense of pride and develop employment skills in the youth; however, a Parliamentary investigation into the situation at camps found that conditions were poor, trainees were subjected to political indoctrination, and no real vocational training was being provided[4320]
Over the past few years, the number of children living on the streets has continued to rise and there are reports of children involved in commercial sexual exploitation.[4321] The traditional practice of offering a young girl as payment to settle inter-family feuds continues to occur in Zimbabwe, as does early marriage of young girls.[4322] Zimbabwe is considered a source and transit country for a small number of children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation.[4323] Within Zimbabwe, a small number of children are reportedly trafficked internally to southern border towns for commercial sexual exploitation.[4324] The child labor situation is compounded by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which in Zimbabwe, has left close to 1 million children orphaned, reliant on informal work to supplement lost family income, and has forced others to work as caregivers for sick adults.[4325] As a result of the epidemic, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing an increase in child-headed households.[4326]
Education is neither free nor compulsory in Zimbabwe.[4327] In 2001, the gross primary enrollment rate was 99.0 percent. The net primary enrollment rate was 82.7 percent.[4328] Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. In 1999, the gross and net primary attendance rates were 108.9 and 85.1 percent, respectively.[4329] The full impact of the recent political turmoil; fast track land resettlement program; drought; scarce food supply; and the growing HIV/AIDS crisis has yet to be determined, but has already had a negative effect on school enrollment and attendance as well as the quality of public education.[4330] Since the beginning of 2004, many schools have been forced to increase fees to cover the growing cost of materials and salaries due to inflation. The fee increases reportedly have led to a rise in dropout rates, affecting girls disproportionately.[4331] The sexual abuse of female students by teachers has also had a negative impact on girls’ educational attainment..[4332]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The Labor Relations Amendment Act of 2003 raised the minimum age for employment to 13 years, specifying that children between the ages of 13 and 15 can only be employed as apprentices and only under special training conditions.[4333] The minimum age at which children may perform light work is set at 15 years, and young persons under the age of 18 years are prohibited from performing work that might jeopardize their health, safety, or morals.[4334]
The Children’s Protection and Adoption Amendment Act prohibits the involvement of children in hazardous labor. However, implementation of the Act has been slow.[4335] The Act defines hazardous labor as any work likely to: interfere with the education of children; expose children to hazardous substances; involve underground mining; require the use of electronically powered hand tools, cutting or grinding blades; expose children to extreme conditions; or occur during a night shift.[4336]
The Penal Code prohibits children from visiting or residing in a brothel, and prohibits anyone from causing the seduction, abduction, or prostitution or children.[4337] No laws specifically address trafficking in persons.[4338] However, under the Immigration Act, prostitutes and persons benefiting from the earnings of prostitution are barred from entering the country,[4339] and the Sexual Offenses Act criminalizes the transportation of persons across borders for sex.[4340] Both the Constitution and Labor Relations Amendment Act prohibit forced labor. However, the Labor Relations Amendment Act makes an exception for labor required from a member of a disciplined force.[4341]
According to the amended Labor Act, violators of Section 11, Employment of Young Persons, are subject to fines of up to ZWD 30,000 (USD 5.00) and/or imprisonment up to 2 years.[4342] Persons violating Section 4A, Prohibition of Forced Labor are also liable for fines and imprisonment.[4343] Under the Sexual Offenses Act of 2001, a person convicted of prostituting a child under the age of 12 years is subject to a fine of up to ZWD 35,000 (USD 6.00) or imprisonment of up to 7 years.[4344] The Sexual Offenses Act also establishes a maximum fine of ZWD 50,000 (USD 8.00) and a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for procuring another person for prostitution or sex inside and outside of the country.[4345]
According to an ILO report, labor regulations, including child labor laws, are poorly enforced because of weak interpretations of the laws, a lack of labor inspectors, and a poor understanding among those affected of their basic legal rights.[4346] The Zimbabwe police serve as the primary authority to combat trafficking, and the Department of Immigration monitors borders. In January 2004, the Ministry of Home Affairs launched a program to combat corruption at border posts.[4347] Although the government has established Victim Friendly Courts in Harare (where abuses perpetrated against children can be tried), these courts are understaffed as a result of magistrates’ preference for more lucrative employment outside Zimbabwe.[4348]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Government of Zimbabwe has a Child Labor Task Force Committee to define child labor, identify child exploitation, recognize problem areas, and propose legislation to resolve these problems.[4349] The government is also making efforts to incorporate child labor issues into the plans and policies of several government ministries, such as the Ministry of Public Service, Labor, and Social Welfare. Social Welfare programs have included initiatives to support orphans, who are particularly vulnerable to child labor.[4350] The government’s “Children in Difficult Circumstances” program is intended to assist street children.[4351] The government has also engaged in anti-trafficking efforts and programs to combat sexual exploitation of children.[4352]
The Ministry of Education operates 489 satellite schools on formerly white-owned commercial farms to accommodate the close to 70,000 children whose families have been resettled from communal lands.[4353] The Children in Difficult Circumstances Program and the Basic Education Assistance Module provide school fees, uniforms and books for children who cannot afford to attend school.[4354] UNICEF and other international organizations are assisting with the government’s education efforts and have been particularly involved in school feeding programs during the recent food crisis.[4355] UNICEF has also been supplying school-in-a-box kits, which provide basic learning materials, to children attending satellite schools.[4356]
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