By Alusine Fullah

First, globally, child labour remains a persistent problem today. The latest global estimates indicate that 160 million children – 63 million girls and 97 million boys – were in child labour globally at the beginning of 2020, accounting for almost 1 in 10 of all children worldwide. Seventy-nine million children – nearly half of all those in child labour – were in hazardous work that directly endangers their health, safety and moral development.

In 2020, Sierra Leone made minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. The government launched a new National Action Plan against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and carried out an awareness-raising campaign to promote education access for girls.

However, children in Sierra Leone are subjected to the worst forms of child labour, including in mining and commercial sexual exploitation, each sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Children also engage in dangerous tasks in quarrying stone and fishing. The types of hazardous work prohibited for children do not cover all sectors in which child labour is known to occur, and the government does not have a sufficient number of labour inspectors to adequately enforce labour laws throughout the country. In addition, Sierra Leone lacks a national policy and social program to address all relevant worst forms of child labour.

Yes, I repeat the issue of child labour especially in our mining areas remains a persistent issue. As it normally happens on Sundays, a colleague, Hassan Korom (a very close friend) called me on the 21^st April, 2024 for us to take a ride in Kono for a three to four hours program. The program was about children in the mining areas. As a best friend, I had no option but to heed to his call. We left in early hours of Sunday (21^st April, 2024). After the programm, we were fortunate to visit four mining sites in Kono. To be frank, what we saw was unbelievable. All of those sites visited, children (some below the age of 12 and some ten years were excruciatingly exposed to child labour. Yes, my friend and I were open mouth.

As they toiled for survival, I was fortunate to pull over one of the children for short interview about his ordeals as a child from this planned hard labour from the abusers. He told me: “My mother said I am ten years old. Ten years old without schooling but with hard labour…ten years old with no good food and shelter. Uncle, what you see here now is just the smoke…I wish you spend more days here…,”he muttered.

But, what our national laws say about this cruel act? For instance, THE CHILD RICHTS ACT, 2022 condemns any form of child labour. In line with that, Section 24 of the foregoing act states: “a person shall not subject a child: (a) torture, other cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment including cultural hazardous practice that dehumanises or is injurious to the labour and physical and mental welfare of the child; (b) corporal punishment; (c) hazardous labour…”

In subsection 4 it vividly states that any person or association who contravenes subsection (I), commit an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of not less than 5, OO0.) Leones or imprisonment for a term of not less than 2 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.