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More children to be rescued from child
labour - Kapuya
2005-07-26 08:13:38
By Judica Tarimo, Dodoma
The government will continue with the on-going national programme to pull kids out of child labour, the Minister of Labour, Youth Development and Sports, Prof. Juma Kapuya told the National Assembly yesterday.
The minister informed the house that about 642 kids were withdrawn from the worst forms of child labour in 2004/05 financial year.
Youth aged 6-17 were reportedly engaged in worst forms of child labour including prostitution, mining and agricultural plantations in the period under review.
Out of the 642 kids assisted, about 309 were girls and 333 boys. ’’About 65 girls were involved in commercial prostitution.
They have been induced to run small and medium enterprises thus securing alternative and safe employment,’’ he said.
In the period under review, Kapuya said about 1,361 youth-659 girls and 711 boys were withdrawn from cruel labour.
About 29 youths out of the number were enrolled in social welfare institutions and deployed to 22 centres in the project areas to work as child care experts.
About 21 municipal councils identified 64, 954 youths working under difficult environment.
He listed the councils as Bagamoyo, Karagwe, Kisarawe, Magu, Makete, Musoma rural, Rungwe, Temeke, Muheza, Mikindani, Masasi.
Others are: Mtwara, Singida Urban and Rural, Kibondo, Songea and Ilala.
Disclosing 2005/06 strategies and programmes, Kapuya said his ministry has allocated funds to facilitate implementation of disabled and old persons’ development policies.
’’Establishment of the National Youth Council is in the offing,’’ he said adding his ministry would conduct extensive sanitisation to job market stakeholders on the current labour laws to minimise labour disputes.
In their comments, some MPs told the government to review National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to make sure contributions remitted to the scheme benefited members (worker).
NSSF collects a lot of money from workers and spend it on development projects which are not necessary beneficial to contributors, said Talala Mbise (Arumeru-North, CCM).
’’The government should stop exerting pressure on NSSF to embark on unplanned projects,’’ said Athuman Janguo (Kisarawe,CCM).
He was referring to the recent acquisition of Mafuta House by the pension body following alleged pressure from the government.
The House endorsed about 39bn/- for the ministry.
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