Civil society organisations (CSOs) and the United States of America (USA) are worried about incidents of child labour in Botswana.
In a report titled, ‘The Big Governance Issues in Botswana, A Civil Society Submission to The African Peer Review Mechanism,’ CSOs have reported that child labour is an area of concern in key governance issues.
The report, compiled by Botswana’s CSOs, during the course of 2020 and 2021, was guided by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO). “The most popular form of child labour in Botswana is cattle or livestock herding,” the report stated.
According to the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, over 25 000 children under the age of 15 are working on farms or cattle posts as herd boys for little to no pay. Based on the report, these children who manage herds of livestock in isolated areas may go days without proper food and shelter. “It is also common for children to work in the domestic service, working alongside their parents or alone in the city,” CSOs have observed.
Efforts to address the issue of child labour have been compromised by gaps in Botswana’s legal framework. The report bears that although children are permitted to conduct ‘light’ work activities from the age of 14, the government has yet to define what activities are included in this category. This is further compounded by the absence of a compulsory education age, which could be increasing vulnerability to child labour.
Botswana’s report on Human Rights Practices for 2020 by the US Department of State has also shed light on the legal gaps in the country’s child labour fight. “The minimum age for work is 15, but children as young as 14 may be employed in light work that is “not harmful to (their) health and development” and is approved by a parent or guardian,” the report read. “The law, however, does not define the types of permitted light work activities.” The Ministry of Employment, Labour, Productivity and Skills Development is responsible for enforcing child labour laws and policies in all sectors, but the US department of state reports that its resources were too limited for effective oversight in remote areas. “Despite laws and policies designed to protect children from exploitation in the workplace, child labour occurred mostly on small-scale cattle posts or farms, where employees lived with their children in family units, particularly in the Ghanzi region. Child labour also occurred in domestic work and street vending,” the report read
