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[15 June 2010] - A report on labour standards suggest that there are 1.4 million children working in Malawi, mostly on tea plantations and in domestic servitude. The Malawi Ministry of Labour report indicates that the situation is worse in rural areas than in towns. The study reveals that 41 per cent of children under 15 work part- or full-time, while 78 per cent of rural children between the ages of 10 and 14 work at least part time in their parent's farms. Village leader Gomani from Mchinji district, where tobacco farming is common, confirmed the report's findings, report saying most of the children work to support their poverty stricken families. "These are children born from very poor families in which their parents cannot even provide them with daily food. They don't even dream of going to school because they know that they cannot go further than primary school because of resources shortage," he said. The report also indicates that the number of street children, mostly orphans whose parents died from AIDS, has increased. It adds that many boys are trafficked for working on tobacco plantations and animal herding while girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation or work in bars and restaurants as well as in domestic servitude. "Malawi's 150 labour inspectors do not have the authority to prosecute those who violate child labour legislation. Instead, they have to request intervention from police who are hindered in their efforts by lack of resources," says the report. According to the report, the government spent more than US$2 million in 2008 to eliminate child labour, in order to intensify labour inspections, raise awareness through campaigning and community action and provide agricultural assistance and money transfers, particularly to rural families. In an interview, Foundation of Irrigation and Sustainable Development Moses Chirambo, whose organisation is implementing a programme to eliminate child work and trafficking, says that child labour is deeply rooted in rural areas because of high rates of illiteracy and poverty. According to Chirambo, the project, “Inclusive sustainable child labour and trafficking reduction in Southern Africa”, is financed by the Help a Child Organisation from Netherlands and is being carried out in five border districts of Malawi which are the source, recruitment and transportation centres. “People from these areas have no knowledge as to what child trafficking is all about. Parents are easily tricked by some people that they will offer the children some work but they end up in forced prostitution and criminal gangs." “We want to sensitise them on the dangers of giving up their children without knowing exactly where they are being taken to,” said Chirambo. He said FISD is working hand in hand with the district social welfare offices, district youth offices, police, the immigration department, judiciary and youth organisations at the grassroots levels. "Most of the parents are offered money, clothes and sometimes tricked into believing that their children are going to be send to schools and work in good jobs in towns and cities not knowing that they are selling their children," he said. Malawi's employment act of 2000 allows for children older than 14 years of age to perform work in any public or private agricultural, industrial or non-industrial undertaking but does not permit "work done in homes, vocational technical schools or other training institutions"... However, the Malawian constitution sets the minimum age of 16 years of age for admission into hazardous work, creating a contradiction which is currently being by the Tripartite Labor Advisory Council. Further information