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Summary: Across the four regions, 818 Namibian and 27 non-Namibian children, between the ages of ten and 17, were found to be engaged in either full-time or part-time work. The major reasons why children took up employment were: family poverty, food insecurity, parental deaths of AIDS, parent/guardian migration, high teenage pregnancy rates, and increasing child-headed households. High alcohol abuse and unemployment rates and lack of support are also singled out as related reasons for child labour. [12 May 2011] - Child labour does exist in Namibia, and the Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions have close to 1,000 such children. These are the main findings of a study carried out by the Labour Research and Resource Institute (LaRRI) on child labour in the agricultural sector in Namibia. The study was commissioned by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and it focused on the prevalence, extent, causes and effects of child labour on children and society as a whole. At a media briefing on the ILO's campaign towards commemorating the World Day Against Child Labour, Tinotenda Mabwe, a researcher at LaRRI gave a presentation on the recently completed study. Across the four regions, 818 Namibian and 27 non-Namibian children, between the ages of 10 and 17, were found to be engaged in either full-time or part-time work. Of the non-Namibian children, 16 were Zambian and 11 Angolan. It is believed that these children crossed the border into Namibia with the assistance of someone in their home country as well as someone in Namibia, which amounts to human trafficking, said Merab Kiremire, a researcher at LaRRI. The children are engaged in cattle herding, field de-bushing, ploughing, weeding and harvesting on communal, subsistence and commercial farms. Mabwe said that no written employment contract existed for any of the children, and that in some cases, verbal agreements seemed to have been entered into. The major reasons why children took up employment were identified as family poverty, food insecurity and parental deaths of AIDS. Other, related reasons were identified as parent/guardian migration, high teenage pregnancy rates and increasing child-headed households. High alcohol abuse and unemployment rates and lack of support are also singled out as related reasons for child labour. Child labour has a significant negative impact on the life chances and health of children. Education is largely affected, as a lack of schooling, early dropout rates, absenteeism and a high failure rate were identified among the participants of the study. Those engaged in child labour reported a high incidence of exposure to infectious disease, HIV-AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The majority of children surveyed were engaged in part-time work, although a significant number were working full-time, where the negative impact of child labour is more severe. Further Information: