Child Labour Committee in Mchinji holds meeting to assess progress of PROCLAIM project

Malawi-The Mchinji District Child Labour Committee held its quarterly meeting on Friday to review the status of the planned activities as part of the PROCLAIM project to Protect and Prevent Child Labor in Agriculture in Malawi, writes Moses Chilumpha.

During the meeting, various stakeholders expressed their concerns about the discontinuation of the Salvation Army's services for withdrawn children, highlighting the importance of following proper procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of the children.

Haswell Jim, the co-chair of the Mchinji District Child Labour Committee's in-person task force, stressed the need to follow procedures in these situations, stating, "If the procedure is not followed, they will not participate in such situations."

Jim also emphasized the importance of clarifying the roles of the Technical Working Group Committees to ensure that the necessary information is available for rehabilitation.

Joyce Malika, the district social welfare officer, expressed concern about the situation, noting that the shelter was the only option for victims removed for rehabilitation.

"This is a sad development for the district and our office in particular because, if victims are taken away, we need to find them a secure location for rehabilitation while inquiries are ongoing," she said.

Andrew Namakhowa, the national consultant for Eliminating Child Labor in the Tobacco Industry (ECLT), also spoke at the meeting, highlighting the need for the district to take the issue of shelter seriously.

"The infrastructure component is crucial because we can't continue to rely on just one partner and we need to own this," he said.

Namakhowa further emphasized the government's role in implementing laws relating to housing for withdrawn children or victims and expressed willingness to support any similar proposals from the project.

The meeting was attended by various stakeholders, including representatives from the judiciary, police, labour ministry, and tobacco companies.

The PROCLAIM project aims to protect and prevent child labour in agriculture in Malawi, and quarterly meetings are held to monitor the progress of planned activities.